WWF House Show
Date: March 19, 1990
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 9,500
Commentators: Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Hillbilly Jim

We’re about two weeks away from Wrestlemania VI and that means we probably won’t be in for the biggest card here. The thing is you never know what you might see with one of these things, as house shows can go anywhere between outstanding and incredibly boring. Let’s get to it.

Commentary runs down the card.

Mike Sharpe vs. Jim Powers

This match is so important that commentary doesn’t even acknowledge it starting for a bit as they’re too busy talking about Wrestlemania. Sharpe bails to the apron to start and then hits a loud chop as we’re a minute into the match with absolutely no acknowledgment of it from commentary. Powers dropkicks him out to the floor and Monsoon FINALLY mentions the match as Sharpe staggers around ringside.

Sharpe gets pulled in and knocked outside again, which has him considering walking out. Back in and Sharpe wants a pose off and we go to a test of strength as commentary lists off locations where you can see Wrestlemania on closed circuit. Monsoon prefers pay per view because he can pick his nose in peace. Powers kicks out of the test of strength and goes after the arm but Sharpe is up with a chop. This lets commentary reference Sharpe’s obsession with taking showers before Sharpe gets a boot up in the corner.

The shoulders to the ribs in the corner allow a camera shot of A LOT of empty seats as there is no reason to sit through a match like this. Imagine paying that much attention to it. Anyway Powers’ sunset flip gets two so Sharpe kicks him in the head for the same. A crossbody gets two more, earning Powers a toss out to the floor. As Powers walks around for a bit, Monsoon talks about a sign on the ceiling of his wrestling room saying that if you can read this, you’re not doing well. Back in and Powers’ dropkick gets two, followed by the powerslam to give Powers the pin at 12:52.

Rating: C-. It’s not that it was a bad match on the technical side but it was a dull match between two people who mean nothing in the company. These two were there so there could officially be a match going on while fans were getting concessions and such. It doesn’t make for anything interesting though and that was true here, with nothing to see at all.

Black Bart vs. Hercules

Hercules shoves the bigger Bart around to start and easily powers out of a full nelson. For some reason Bart wants a test of strength, with the reason being revealed as a simple kick to the stomach. The cheating lets Bart take over with more shots to the ribs and a running crotch attack to the back. Commentary’s subject at the moment? The mixed tag at Wrestlemania.

Hercules gets sent face first into the buckle and it’s off to the choking. A swinging neckbreaker and legdrop (to the forehead) get two and we finally hit the chinlock, which you knew was coming. The closeup shows how weak of a chinlock it is, with even Hayes having to admit that it’s bad.

Bart pulls him back down into another chinlock as this is somehow dying even more despite already being dead. Hercules fights up but gets caught with a clothesline for two and my goodness it’s another chinlock as this match has to keep going. The comeback is finally on as Hercules hammers away with the snap jabs, hits the knee lift, and torture racks him for the win at 12:25.

Rating: D. It was boring and that’s all there was here. It’s a match that could have been done in about five minutes without nearly as many chinlocks. Instead, this was another match where they were sent out there to kill time. It gets annoying to sit through these things and it doesn’t make me want to see Hercules facing Earthquake at Wrestlemania.

Orient Express vs. Demolition

Mr. Fuji is here with the Express and yeah I still dig that “all Japanese wrestlers use this song” music. On the other hand, Demolition’s music is scrubbed in quite the disappointment. Smash and Tanaka lock up to start with Smash knocking him down, allowing the tag off to Ax for the chinlock. Sato comes in and gets elbowed in the face but Tanaka gets in a cheap shot from the apron.

That just earns Tanaka a rapid fire beating, with Smash getting two off a backbreaker. The armbar goes on and Ax comes back in to work on the arm as well as Tanaka takes quite the beating. Sato comes back in and gets beaten down and….something happens with Smash getting knocked down, though the camera totally misses it, leaving Monsoon with no idea what happened. Smash is taken outside for a cane shot to the back before going back inside to keep up the beating.

Tanaka has to trip Smash up to cut off a comeback, with the camera mostly missing it as well. Smash clotheslines his way out of the corner and….I’m assuming tags Ax but the camera misses that too! Sweet goodness how hard can it be to know when the tag is coming? IT’S A TAG MATCH! Ax rams Sato into the corner a few times and a powerslam gets two. Everything breaks down and Ax gets the cane to stalk Fuji. Sato is right there with the salt though and Ax is counted out at 10:58.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match either but it was far better than anything in the previous two matches. I’m guessing this was designed to set up a title rematch after Wrestlemania, which is fine, and at least Demolition didn’t get pinned. Some of the action here was fine and it didn’t drag, so things are looking up a bit.

Frenchy Martin vs. Koko B. Ware

Martin misses a right hand in the corner to start and gets taken down with a quick armdrag. They fight over a top wristlock and go absolutely nowhere, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Martin rams him head first into the turnbuckle, which just makes Ware mad. A thumb to the throat has Ware in trouble for a change and we’re off to the nerve hold.

Back up and an elbow to the face sets up the nerve hold again as I’m having Black Bart flashbacks. Martin sends him outside for a ram into the apron as Frankie….does nothing, as he’s kind of a useless second here. The sunset flip is blocked and we’re back to the nerve hold as you can feel the lack of energy in the building.

Ware gets up and is quickly knocked right back down for two, meaning we hit the….what is this, the fourth nerve hold? Another comeback attempt is cut off with a clothesline before Ware misses a splash in the corner. Martin chokes some more and the BORING chants are getting louder and louder. AND MARTIN PUTS THE NERVE HOLD ON AGAIN! Holy sweet goodness this is pathetic. Ware fights up and hits a headbutt, followed by the Ghostbuster for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: D-. Oh sweet goodness no. This was a match where they should have been embarrassed with what they did out there, as it was just so dry with Martin not trying in the slightest for the most part. They did the same rest hold about five times in a match and the fans were rejecting the whole thing. Absolutely terrible as this show is dying in an amazing way.

Jim Duggan vs. Earthquake

Jimmy Hart is here with….well you should already know this but it’s Earthquake in case you’re new at this. Earthquake backs him into the corner to start so Duggan is back up with some running clotheslines. Hart trips him up though and Earthquake knocks Duggan outside as I admire a fan’s neon green hat.

A missed charge sends Earthquake crashing out to the floor, where he posts Duggan to cut him off again. Back in and we hit the bearhug for a good while, with Duggan biting his face to escape. Duggan slugs away to put Earthquake on his knee and does it again to put him down, where some more big right hands have Earthquake rocked. Hart offers another distraction though and it’s a splash into an elbow to pin Duggan at 6:37.

Rating: C. I’ll take this after watching that horrible Ware vs. Martin match. Duggan’s comeback was really energized and it’s where Duggan tended to shine. I was surprised that Earthquake didn’t win with the usual, but I guess they didn’t want Duggan to be crushed like that here and then be in the ring at Wrestlemania.

Post match Earthquake elbows him again, with Jim Powers and Koko B. Ware’s save attempts failing miserably. Duggan chases Earthquake off with the 2×4.

Bret Hart is ready to face Rick Martel, who is more worried about his appearance and scent than his wrestling.

Martel calls Hart jealous and knows he’s better than Hart.

Brutus Beefcake (we must be in intermission) is only worried about which way he should lay Dino Bravo for his haircut.

Mr. Perfect is not happy with Ultimate Warrior saying he’ll end Perfect’s perfect record. And Warrior is nuts anyway! Well yeah.

Rick Martel vs. Bret Hart

Fink’s reaction to the Arrogance being sprayed is great as he looks annoyed but what is he supposed to do about it? Hart gives his sunglasses to a fan who has what appears to be a bootleg Mario shirt. Eh I’d wear it. Hart backs him up against the ropes and lets him go, with Martel looking rather disgusted. It works so well that they do it again as they might as well put up a big sign saying WE’RE GOING TO A DRAW.

Hart blocks an O’Connor roll attempt and Martel flips backwards for a rather smug pose. Martel jumps over him out of the corner and gets knocked down, with a small package giving Hart two. That’s enough to send Martel bailing out to the floor before he elbows the buckle by mistake. Hart starts in on the arm with a standing armbar and then takes him down to keep the armbar going. Martel powers out but misses an elbow and the arm is banged up even worse. The armbar goes on again and Hart is looking rather bored.

Martel finally makes it over to the rope but gets pulled back into the armbar, with Hart getting to adjust his kneepad. Back up and Martel sends him crashing to the floor, meaning it is time for some jumping jacks. A suplex back in gives Martel two and he can’t believe the kickout. Hart gets whipped hard into the corner (and actually lands back first for a change) and Martel grabs the abdominal stretch to work on the ribs. The referee isn’t about to have Martel grabbing the rope so he kicks the hand away, leaving Martel to miss a charge into the post.

Oddly that doesn’t turn things around as Martel is right back with a failed Boston crab attempt. A backbreaker puts Hart down again but he gets his knees up to block a slingshot dive. Back up and they collide for a double down before Martel takes him into the corner. An atomic drop out of said corner has Martel in agony and Hart turns it on with a suplex and elbow for two. The middle rope elbow gets two more and Hart backbreakers him to the floor. Back in and Hart hits a dropkick and they go back to the floor, where they brawl to a time limit draw at 21:36.

Rating: B-. Those armbars were a bit dull but this was a mostly hard worked match between two people who can make a good impression inside the ring. Hart was getting another chance to showcase himself and Martel is one of the best options for being a good hand in the ring. It’s easy to see why Hart was being teased for the singles run but it wasn’t quite there yet, and wouldn’t be for about a year and a half.

Post match the brawl stays on with Hart clearing Martel out.

Dino Bravo vs. Brutus Beefcake

Jimmy Hart is here with Bravo and they have a bit of a history from the Dream team days, which won’t be mentioned here. Beefcake only has some small scissors with him, which is weird as the big sheers were pretty much his whole thing. Bravo powers him into the corner to start, leaving Beefcake’s lips rather puffed out for some reason. Another lockup has Beefcake up against the ropes where he comes back with some right hands, including one to the ribs.

A clothesline to the back of the head sends Bravo to the floor and the fans seem to approve. Back in and Bravo takes over with a test of strength (as the brilliant Beefcake was willing to try one), with Beefcake having to fight up and strike away. Some right hands in the corner are cut off with an atomic drop for a rather delayed two. Beefcake sends him into the buckle and tries a slam, with Bravo falling backwards onto him for two more.

The bearhug goes on as it’s hard to ignore how red Beefcake is appearing. Geez it looks like he’s covered with a sunburn. Or a weak ketchup. They even drop to a knee before Bravo gets up again and keeps the hold on. This goes on for a bad, bad while until Beefcake makes the clothesline comeback. An ax handle looks to set up the sleeper but Hart offers a distraction, allowing Earthquake to sneak in and break it up, including posting Beefcake on the floor. That’s enough for Beefcake to be counted out at 11:29.

Rating: C-. It’s amazing to see how well Beefcake could get over with the fans despite having such a limited offense. He couldn’t do much more than punch and do the sleeper but the fans got into it every time. That’s what charisma can do for you and it carried this as far as it was going to go here.

Post match Earthquake beats on him some more with referees having to make the save.

Tugboat Thomas vs. Pez Whatley

Whatley tries to go up and is quickly slammed down, which shouldn’t be a surprise. With that not working, Whatley tries a waistlock, which fails even more. Tugboat knocks him down again and grabs the bearhug, with Whatley not even being able to break it up with a thumb to the eye. Instead Tugboat drives him into the corner but misses a charge, allowing Whatley to knock him down and then dance.

The middle rope elbow gets two, with the kickout sending Whatley right back onto the rope. Another slam off the top has Whatley down again and the jumping splashes in the corner keep him in trouble. Hold on though as Whatley tries to pull out a foreign object, earning himself a choke. Another whip into the corner seems to set up a running clothesline from behind but Whatley falls down, meaning it’s just a running slap to the head. The big splash (and Tugboat does get height) finishes Whatley at 5:37.

Rating: D. Tugboat is one of the most interesting cases from this time as I was a fan when I was a kid but my goodness it’s just not there. He’s your standard big guy who can’t do anything but splashes and slams, but he was around for a long time. You need a bit more than that and his stuff really does not hold up. Whatley’s dancing was nice at least.

The Fink announces the April 30 show, with a main event of Earthquake vs. Hulk Hogan. Oh yeah the fans like that one. This brings out Earthquake and Jimmy Hart, with Earthquake promising to get rid of Hogan for good.

Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect

I believe this is non-title but it’s not entirely clear. Warrior runs to the ring and the bell rings so they do the crisscross, with Warrior knocking him out to the floor. The chase sends Perfect outside again, followed by quite the shove into the corner. Perfect gets knocked outside again but this time Warrior drags him back inside by the hair for a faceplant. Another whip crotches Perfect against the post and Warrior knocks him down again.

A big backdrop looks to set up the Splash, which just hits raised knees. This time Warrior is knocked outside and Perfect slowly kicks at the ribs. Warrior actually tries a sunset flip for two, with Perfect starting in on the back again. We hit the reverse chinlock for a good while, with Warrior’s arm dropping twice. That means it’s time to shake the rope and start the comeback, even with a clothesline being pretty badly mistimed. The gorilla press drop and the Warrior Splash give Perfect his first televised loss at 10:11.

Rating: C. Naturally Warrior had all kinds of energy and the loss at the end felt like a big deal, but the chinlock in the middle wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff. Perfect was bumping as well as he could here but you were only getting so much here. Warrior could do better and these two did on occasion, but this was ok at best.

Overall Rating: D. What a lame show, with one good match throughout the whole thing. I’m assuming they were setting some things up for after Wrestlemania but my goodness were they trying to kill the interest on the way there? This came off like most of the people weren’t trying and it was just a show they had to do. Bad stuff here, but Wrestlemania would wind up being good enough. Watch that instead.

Results
Jim Powers b. Mike Sharpe – Powerslam
Hercules b. Black Bart – Torture rack
Orient Express b. Demolition via countout
Koko B. Ware b. Frenchy Martin – Ghostbuster
Earthquake b. Jim Duggan – Elbow drop
Bret Hart vs. Rick Martel went to a time limit draw
Dino Bravo b. Brutus Beefcake via countout
Tugboat Thomas b. Pez Whatley – Splash
Ultimate Warrior b. Mr. Perfect – Warrior Splash

 

 

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Best Of Ken Shamrock
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, HHH

There are so many of these things and I might as well start with this one. Shamrock is an interesting case as he came in with a very specific sports background and was memorable enough in the WWF. He wasn’t around very long though and that isn’t going to leave a ton of options here. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening sequence, as is customary.

From In Your House XV.

Ken Shamrock vs. Vader

No Holds Barred, but you can only win by knockout or submission. Shamrock gets smart by kicking away at the legs so Vader grabs a waistlock. That’s broken up and Shamrock fires off more kicks before wrestling Vader down with quite the impressive lift. Back in and Vader seems to be favoring his arm so Shamrock kicks away, only to get BLASTED with a clothesline as only Vader can do.

Shamrock can’t get very far with a cross armbreaker as Vader powers him up and tosses him outside in a heck of a heap. Vader sends him hard into the steps and grabs something like an ankle lock back inside. With that broken up, Vader tries the moonsault, which hits Shamrock but he was rolling away so it didn’t count in wrestling logic.

Back up and Shamrock grabs a powerslam before grabbing a half crab. That’s broken up and they trade right hands, with Vader hitting one of the hardest shots I’ve ever seen. Shamrock is dropped, but he’s able to pick the ankle for the ankle lock and the tap at 13:20.

Rating: B. That right hand from Vader at the end gives the match something of an upgrade at least. This was exactly what Shamrock should have been doing for his early days in the WWF, as it was all about physicality and beating the fire out of each other. You know Vader was going to be down for that style so it worked very well here, with that right hand still stuck in my mind.

From Monday Night Raw, October 27, 1997.

WWF Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Bret Hart

Hart is defending with a bad ankle and we’re less than two weeks away from Montreal. They start slowly and Shamrock takes him down a few times, meaning we’re already in the headlock. The threat of an ankle lock sends Hart over to the rope as we hear about a special look at the history of Survivor Series, including Undertaker vs. Hulk Hogan (of course).

Hart goes after the leg to take over, including the Hartbreaker around the post. The Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work so Hart goes with a DDT into the spinning toehold. We take a break and come back with Hart still on the leg and trying another Hartbreaker. This one is countered with a pull into the post and Shamrock geoes outside to get into more of a brawl. Shamrock hammers away in the timekeeper’s area and snaps off a hurricanrana back inside.

The referee gets bumped though, meaning Shamrock can make Hart tap to the Sharpshooter but it doesn’t matter. The distraction lets Hart chair Shamrock down and there’s the Sharpshooter, which draws in Shawn Michaels to superkick Hart. Shamrock doesn’t know what’s going on and beats up Michaels, who was hammering on Hart. Referees and agents come in to break it up and we’ll call it a no contest at about 13:30.

Rating: B-. Shockingly enough, Hart could hang in there with someone was focused on submissions and technical work. Shamrock was still fairly new to the WWF style but the UFC reputation was more than enough to make him feel like a threat (in other words, he’s a proto Kurt Angle). The ending was more than a bit disappointing, but you can’t have either of these two taking a fall so close to Survivor Series. In other words, it was a nice preview of a match that never happened.

From In Your House XIX.

Shamrock promises to make Shawn Michaels squeal like a baby before heading out to the ring.

WWF Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels, with HHH and Chyna, is defending (only the WWF Title and not the European Title, because of course he has both) and in the back, says that he’s ready to prove he’s the best. JR: “Thanks a lot.” Michaels: “Sure, anytime.” Shamrock misses a few shots to start until a big kick to the chest has Michaels in trouble on the floor.

Back in and Shamrock hammers away in the corner, followed by a heck of a whip over the buckle for the big crash outside. Michaels gets back in and hammers away in the corner, only to get sent crashing outside again. Shamrock sends him back into the corner for the big crash, followed by the same thing in another corner, with Shamrock crotching him on the top. A rather needed low blow gets Michaels out of trouble and he clotheslines Shamrock to the floor.

The big dive connects but Shamrock is right back with the rights and lefts. One of them takes HHH down but Chyna posts Shamrock to cut him off again. The middle rope elbow hits Shamrock’s back and Michaels grabs the sleeper to keep him in trouble. That stays on for awhile, with Shamrock fighting up and grabbing a heck of a powerslam for two.

The jumping hurricanrana brings Michaels down again and they go into a rollup for two each. Michaels’ hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two but the rest of DX pulls Shamrock outside for the beating. Shamrock pops back up with the belly to belly, which draws DX in for the DQ at 18:30.

Rating: B-. The ending was rather lame but Shamrock held his own well enough here for the whole match. They were in a weird place here as Shamrock didn’t feel like he was on Michaels’ level but they had to find someone else to go after the title after the whole Montreal debacle. Good enough match here, especially with Shamrock in a rare main event spot.

From King Of The Ring 1998.

King Of The Ring: Ken Shamrock vs. The Rock

Tournament finals, HHH is on commentary and Rock’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line. The bell rings and HHH takes some shots at WCW, saying this isn’t where the old guys are falling all over the ring. Shamrock has a bad ankle coming in so he mostly stands still while Rock runs the rope but Shamrock kicks him out to the floor.

Back in and Rock sends him into the corner as we look at Chyna on Spanish commentary. Rock fights back as commentary goes quiet for some reason and the fans are rather happy. Commentary comes back with HHH asking if he really just said that as Shamrock tosses Rock over the top. That lets Rock go yell at HHH, who spits water in his face. Shamrock goes after the distracted Rock and gets suplexed for two back inside.

They’re already back on the floor, where Rock is sent into the barricade but comes back out with a hard clothesline. Back in and Rock’s DDT sets up the chinlock as we slow down for a change. The People’s Elbow connects for two and we’re back to the chinlock. Shamrock is back up with a belly to back DDT, with Rock barely getting back up. Shamrock’s elbow to the face sets up a powerslam for two but Rock slams him right back down.

That doesn’t last long either as Shamrock gets two more off a northern lights suplex. An exchange of clotheslines gets an exchange of near falls before Rock counters a hurricanrana into a hot shot for two more. The Rock yells at the referee, allowing Shamrock to slap on the ankle lock for the tap at 14:10.

Rating: B. They were beating on each other rather well here, mainly because the two of them had quite the chemistry together. Rock was the polished athlete who could take out just about anyone, but Shamrock was a machine who tore people apart. Shamrock was willing to go that much further to beat Rock and that’s what happened in the end. Good stuff here, as Shamrock is starting to find his style.

From Summerslam 1998.

Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart

Lion’s Den match, meaning there is a small, round cage and Dan Severn is here as Hart’s trainer. Shamrock goes for a cross armbreaker to start but Hart takes over on the leg. That’s escaped in all of two seconds so Hart drives him into the cage instead. Shamrock grabs a choke and then blasts Hart with a clothesline. Back up and Shamrock misses a charge HARD the cage and Hart finally gets to do something other than get hurt.

The enziguri connects for Hart and he hot shots Shamrock into the cage for a nasty looking crash. The Sharpshooter and a hurricanrana are both countered, the latter with a hard powerbomb, allowing Shamrock to come up with the right hands. Hart is right back with a belly to belly and the Sharpshooter and Shamrock is in trouble. There are no ropes so Shamrock climbs up the cage for the break in a smart move.

That and a DDT have Hart in trouble so Shamrock can blast him with another clothesline. Shamrock kicks him in the face but gets sent into the cage, allowing Hart to grab a choke. Naturally Shamrock walks the cage and flips over for the escape, allowing Hart to feed him the leg for the ankle lock (Severn walks out rather than throw in the towel) and the tap at 9:13.

Rating: B-. They beat on each other well enough, but it was more about Hart being in over his head. That makes sense as Hart beat him the previous month in the Dungeon and now Shamrock wins in his own environment. I liked it well enough and Shamrock walking the cage to escape a few times was cool. And it wasn’t a Shamrock vs. Severn match so I’ll call it a win.

From In Your House XXIV.

Ken Shamrock vs. The Rock vs. Mankind

In a cage for a WWF Title shot and it’s pinfall, submission or escape. We’re also in that weird period where Rock was getting crazy popular after losing the Intercontinental Title but before going Corporate in a few months. Mankind sits in the corner as Rock and Shamrock slug it out, as is their custom. Rock goes to the eye and hammers away but has to stop Mankind from sneaking out the door in a smart move.

That earns Rock and Shamrock a beating in the corner but the running knee to Shamrock lets Rock clothesline Mankind (to a BIG reaction). Shamrock is back up with an abdominal stretch to Mankind…and Rock puts one on Shamrock at the same time, allowing JR to get in a joke about being stretched. That’s all broken up and they stare at each other as things reset a bit. Well kind of set for the first place as they didn’t do the three way staredown to start.

Shamrock takes over by putting Mankind down but Rock dives over to stop the escape attempt. Rock and Mankind get together (oh dear) to double team Shamrock, who is sent hard into the cage. The double teaming switches up as Shamrock and Rock stomp Mankind down but Rock breaks up the Sharpshooter. Naturally we get the third combination with Rock getting double teamed, much to the fans’ annoyance.

Lawler tries to figure out if the fans like the eyebrow or the People’s Elbow. JR: “Maybe it’s his athleticism or his in-ring ability.” Lawler: “Nah. It’s the eyebrow.” This alliance actually lasts a bit longer, as Mankind coaches Shamrock on how to beat up Rock, who is back with a clothesline to Mankind. Rock is back with a double People’s Elbow and my goodness the fans go nuts over this stuff. That’s enough for Rock to go up so Shamrock crotches him down on top, only for Shamrock to get hit low right back.

The Rock Bottom gets two on Mankind, with the Rock making a save this time. The fans are all over Shamrock so Lawler gets to bust out his Bizarro World line, as we’re firmly in Canada. Shamrock is right back to knock Mankind down and lock Rock’s ankle. Mankind makes the save to a rather positive reaction and goes up, with Rock making a save of his own. Rock and Mankind go up, with Rock having to pull Mankind back over the top for another save.

Shamrock gets knocked down for trying a save and Mankind knocks Rock down…but stands up instead of climbing down. The big elbow misses Rock and Mankind comes crashing down as only he can. Rock is busted open as Mankind cuts off Shamrock from escaping, with Shamrock grabbing a chair. The running chair shot only hits cage and Mankind gives Shamrock a double arm DDT. A nasty chair shot to the head knocks Shamrock silly so Mankind climbs up again (JR: “GO OUT THE DOOR MICK!”), allowing Rock to steal the pin on Shamrock at 18:47.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was awesome, with all three working well together and trying a bunch of different things to keep it interesting. Mankind was actually in there for the high spots (as he tended to be), Shamrock was just violent and Rock was insanely over. Shamrock’s big upside here was he more than felt like he belonged in there and that isn’t a surprise, as he was quite the star despite not being the most interesting character.

From Monday Night Raw, September 28, 1998, the night after the cage match.

Ken Shamrock/Mankind/The Rock vs. Undertaker/Kane

Shamrock and Mankind get in a fight before the other three even get to the ring. Shamrock knocks Mankind to the floor and here is Rock to join in on the fun. Well after posing first but that’s a signature Rock thing. Rock and Shamrock get into a fight of their own and the lights go out for Undertaker and Kane’s entrance. The trio gets in another brawl so Undertaker and Kane jump the three of them for some reason.

Shamrock and Mankind brawl on the floor until they realize how stupid that actually is and go to the corner. Old School hits Rock and it’s off to Kane, who gets hit in the mask. Mankind comes in and gets hit by Undertaker, which just feels right. Naturally Shamrock goes after Mankind and gets clotheslined by Rock, with Undertaker getting two. Undertaker busts out a hook kick of all things for two more on Shamrock and it’s off to Kane.

Shamrock hits a weird looking running dropkick and actually tags Mankind for the right hands and a flip dive off the apron. Undertaker is back up to send Mankind into the steps before sending him inside to continue this nuttiness. Mankind gets an elbow up in the corner so Undertaker drops him with a clothesline. Kane sends Mankind knees first into the steps and it’s time for some toys.

One heck of a chair shot to the head puts Mankind down but he gets in a swinging neckbreaker back inside. Mankind knocks him down again and it’s off to Rock to slug away at Undertaker. The DDT sets up the People’s Elbow and Kane has to make a save. Everything breaks down and Shamrock gets the ankle lock on Undertaker, with Kane making another save. Kane goes outside with the other two, leaving Rock to Rock Bottom Undertaker for the quick pin at 12:49.

Rating: B-. Well that was a lot. This was total insanity, with the three man team fighting each other about as much as they were fighting the other two. It’s fallout from the previous night, but it was certainly an interesting one. At the same time, this actually had a finish rather than being thrown out. As usual, 1998 is a very strange time.

From Judgment Day 1998.

Intercontinental Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind

Shamrock is defending, having won the title in a tournament earlier in the week. Lawler says Shamrock is in his zone but Mankind is in the Twilight Zone, which is a good line for a change. Mankind dries him (Shamrock, not Lawler, which would be odd even for him) into the corner to start but Shamrock goes after the arm. Shamrock takes him down into a hammerlock before trying a guillotine.

Instead he goes with a front facelock, so Mankind gets up and drives him into the corner. A quick Mandible Claw has Shamrock on the floor and he knows that’s a dangerous one. Back in and Mankind tries another Claw so they go outside again, with Shamrock sending him into the steps. A big chair shot to the head has Mankind knocked even sillier, as Lawler thinks you could hit Mankind in the head with a sledgehammer and he might get up. Lawler: “No wait that’s been done.”

Back in and Shamrock works on a top wristlock, which lasts for a fairly decent while. Mankind fights up and grabs a double arm DDT to leave both of them down. They get up, with Mankind pulling out his own hair and hitting a Cactus Clothesline. There’s the elbow off the apron so Mankind can both crush Shamrock and yell at him.

Mankind charges into a suplex, with his legs crashing into the steps for quite the landing. Back in and the ankle lock sends Mankind to the rope, only for Shamrock to put it on again. Mankind starts punching himself in the head…and then gives himself the Mandible Claw, knocking himself out rather than tapping, to retain the title at 14:36.

Rating: B. This is one of the reasons I like watching Foley’s matches so much, as he knew how to mix it up. The ending was somewhere between brilliant and insane, but that makes it perfect for a Foley match. Shamrock is perfect for this kind of a spot as he can pick someone apart like this, with him picking up one of the bigger wins of his career. Good stuff here.

Shamrock is announced as the winner due to the Mandible Claw, which has Shamrock snapping all over again and beating on Mankind, and the referee, even more. Yeah that’s about the only way this could end.

Overall Rating: B+. Shamrock is a rather fascinating case, as he was only around for about two and a half years, as he showed up in early 1997 and in the fall of 1999. During his time with the company, he was almost always facing top stars (save for the not so great Billy Gunn feud, which doesn’t need to be brought up) and none of these matches here were remotely bad.

Shamrock figured out exactly what he should have been and played it very well. I can’t imagine him ever being the top star, but he could have been an upper midcarder, perhaps even the main event gatekeeper, for a long time. This was better than I was expecting, as Shamrock was rather good at what he did and worked well with everyone. Check this out if you have the chance, as Shamrock was better than you might remember.

Results
Ken Shamrock b. Vader – Ankle lock
Ken Shamrock vs. Bret Hart went to a no contest
Ken Shamrock b. Shawn Michaels via DQ when DX interfered
Ken Shamrock b. Owen Hart – Ankle lock
The Rock b. Ken Shamrock and Mankind – Chair shot to Rock
Ken Shamrock/The Rock/Mankind b. Undertaker/Kane – Rock Bottom to Undertaker
Ken Shamrock b. Mankind – Ankle lock

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Summerslam 2019
Date: August 11, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 16,904
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

Here we have a show that I do not remember in the slightest, which should make for a fun night. The show’s big main event is a Wrestlemania rematch as Seth Rollins is once again facing Brock Lesnar, which often works well. Other than that, Kofi Kingston is defending the Smackdown World Title against Randy Orton, which feels less promising. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan

Gulak is defending and jumps Lorcan in the corner to start. Lorcan spins out of a wristlock and headlock and it’s an early standoff. Gulak’s arm crank works a bit better as it takes a bit longer for Lorcan to drive him into the corner. A running shot to the face drops Lorcan though and we take a break.

We come back with Lorcan fighting out of a chinlock and striking away. They head outside with Lorcan chopping him around ringside, only for Lorcan to get caught in the Gulock (dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors). That’s broken up and they knock each other down, meaning it’s time to slug it out again. Gulak actually gets the better of things but another Gulock is reversed. A running uppercut drops Gulak but he’s right back with a shot to the throat. A torture rack neckbreaker connects to retain Gulak’s title at 8:48.

Rating: B-. This was an interesting technical vs. brawling match and Lorcan could have been a bigger deal if he was allowed to show his quirkiness a bit more. The cruiserweights had some talented stars but there was only so much they could do when WWE made it clear that they were at the bottom of the ladder. Banishing them to 205 Live didn’t make it much better, but they could do some fun stuff when given the chance.

Kickoff Show: Apollo Crews vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy runs him over to start and stomps away in the corner. Crews gets knocked down again and the chinlock goes on, followed by a double crossbody to leave them both down. Back up and Crews pulls him out of the air for a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. Murphy catches him in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos Kick and a hard powerbomb out of the corner. Crews reverses Murphy’s Law into a rollup for two but gets sent to the floor. A big dive hits Crews but Erick Rowan runs in to jump Murphy for the DQ at 4:45.

Rating: C+. The ending was the more interesting thing here, but dang you could see some potential in Murphy. He’s big, he has a great look, he’s athletic and he has charisma. Naturally this had no place in modern WWE, but at least they were giving him something of a chance here. Crews was his usual self, but his big free fall hadn’t come yet so Murphy still got something out of facing him.

Post match Rowan wrecks Murphy, including a powerbomb against the post for quite the crash. This was due to Murphy suggesting that Rowan had attacked Roman Reigns on Smackdown, which Rowan denied.

Normally I don’t include segments in these things but here’s something. Elias is in the ring to sing his song about how he’s been in Toronto for a week and has written a song about it. He wants to leave the town in a hearse and mocks various Toronto teams…and here is Edge to blow the roof off the place. Edge hits the spear and leaves without saying a word. He would be back in the ring in about five months for quite the moment.

Kickoff Show: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. IIconics

The IIconics are challenging and since Bliss is in her Buzz Lightyear gear, she starts with a laser blast at Kay. The ensuing headlock doesn’t work long so it’s back to the laser, allowing Graves to fire off the Toy Story references. Cross comes in but gets rolled up by Royce and the IIconics get to kick her down, setting up a crossface chickenwing of all things.

That’s broken up with a jawbreaker and a swinging hair faceplant allows the tag back to Bliss. House is cleaned, including Insult To Injury, leaving Cross and Kay to fight outside. Royce counters a spinning kick into a Widow’s Peak, with Bliss’ kickout sending Royce into a panic. Bliss knocks her down, setting up Twisted Bliss to retain at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This was mainly about Bliss getting to show off the Toy Story gear with Graves’ reactions being rather amusing. These titles were still pretty new at this point so getting some teams together to have a division was the most important part. Bliss and Cross were the fun team and did fine here against the annoying challengers, so at least the fans got what they wanted to see.

The opening video is a standard look at how big this show is and the more important matches. Rather generic stuff here for such a big show.

We recap Becky Lynch defending the Raw Women’s Title against Natalya. Lynch is the biggest star in the world (she absolutely had a case for being the biggest star in WWE, man or woman, over the summer) and Natalya won a four way to get the shot in her home country. As a bonus, we’ll make it a submission match.

Raw Women’s Champion: Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Lynch is defending in a submission match. Lynch knocks her into the corner and stomps away as Young talks about various Toronto bars. Graves: “What I’ve just discovered is that Renee spent her summer as a drunk.” Natalya has to break out of a triangle choke (remember rope breaks don’t matter because submission only) and they go outside, with Natalya stomping away at the knee.

Lynch fights out of the corner but gets sent to the apron, where Natalya snaps the leg over the rope. Something like the Sharpshooter in the corner (with Lynch laid on the middle rope) has Lynch screaming until they crash out to the floor. Natalya gets whipped into the announcers’ table, which bangs up her arm, as does a whip into the steps. The arm is fine enough to hit a top rope superplex so Natalya tries the basement dropkick.

That’s reversed into a Sharpshooter from Lynch (who doesn’t sit down) so Natalya rolls her into the corner for the break. Natalya pulls her out of the corner and grabs a Disarm-Her, followed by the Sharpshooter. Lynch has to get creative by crawling over the apron to send them into the ropes. That’s enough for the break and she grabs Natalya in the Disarm-Her to retain at 12:33.

Rating: B. Lynch was on the roll of a lifetime in 2019 and the fans were losing it over almost everything she did. The catch here was that Natalya was in her element and in her country so there was some drama over who was going to win. I liked this more than I was expecting to and it wound up being rather good, even if the ending kind of came out of nowhere.

Trish Stratus is back in her hometown and ready to face Charlotte and prove that her era was pretty great in its own right. If Charlotte is the queen, Stratus is the queen of queens. Eh not the greatest line.

We recap Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler. There was a legends show a few weeks back and Ziggler insulted the legends, with Shawn Michaels standing up for the old guard. Ziggler still wanted to fight through and Goldberg stepped up, meaning it’s destruction time.

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Before the match, Ziggler says legends come and go but he’s always here to steal the show. Goldberg might not even show up tonight…and here he is. They stare each other down and Ziggler hits a superkick for a fast one. Another superkick gets the same so Ziggler tries it again, only to get speared into the next universe. The Jackhammer ends Ziggler at 1:49. That was one of the best spears Goldberg ever hit but the key here was they didn’t have Goldberg out there too long and it was more what made him work in his heyday. Why is that so complicated?

Post match Ziggler asks if that is all Goldberg has and wants one more fight. Goldberg comes back and spears him again before going to leave. Ziggler (writhing in pain) says anyone can get lucky twice and he’s still the best while Goldberg is a joke. He’s the best thing going today and here is Goldberg for a third time. Goldberg helps Ziggler up, hits the ropes a few times, and spears him a third time, just for fun. This was hilarious and Ziggler sold every one of them like death.

Clash Of The Champions is next month. I was at that show. Dang it was boring!

We recap AJ Styles defending the US Title against Ricochet. Styles, with the Good Brothers, got sick of losing to Ricochet and went evil on him to take the title. Ricochet is back for revenge and the belt, as tends to be the case.

We go to the international row of announcers, with Carmella and R-Truth in disguise. Drake Maverick runs out to look for R-Truth (and the 24/7 Title) but can’t find anyone.

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Styles, with the Good Brothers, is defending and Ricochet is in Black Panther gear. Ricochet starts fast and sends him outside for the early dive. Styles starts in on the leg though and takes him back inside to stomp on the knee. The leg is wrapped around the rope but Ricochet uses the good leg to kick him in the head.

A one legged springboard clothesline (good grief) gets two on Styles, who knocks him back outside. The baseball slide dropkick takes Ricochet down again but he gets back inside to kick Styles in the head. Styles gets smart by pulling him into the Calf Crusher but Ricochet reverses into the Anaconda Vice of all things. With that broken up, Ricochet grabs a twisting suplex for two and they’re both down. A one legged step up moonsault takes Gallows out and Ricochet tries a Whisper In The Wind…which is countered into the Styles Clash (brilliant) to retain the title at 13:02.

Rating: B. This was Ricochet fighting against the odds and trying everything he can, but that ending was just great with Styles catching him trying to do one too many things. It took some time to build things up but Ricochet’s comebacks and some of the things he was doing on one leg were amazing. I know he couldn’t talk that well but my goodness the things Ricochet could do should have kept him around for a very long time.

Post match Styles and the Good Brothers beat Ricochet down again.

NXT Tag Team Champions the Street Profits (not on the main roster but they were just kind of showing up from time to time) recap the show thus far but get distracted by a dancing Ric Flair.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Ember Moon

Moon (later known as Athena in AEW) is challenging and dang I had forgotten how awesome her theme song really is. They trade takedowns to start until Moon forearms her in the corner, followed by the springboard crossbody for two. A bow and arrow goes on but Bayley fights up and hits a clothesline of her own. Bayley grabs a suplex and goes to the apron, where Moon gets pulled neck first into the rope.

The running elbow drop in the corner gives Bayley two and she grabs a reverse Boston crab of all things. That’s broken up as well and Moon knocks her outside for a needed breather. Back in and Moon’s super hurricanrana sets up the spinning knees to the face for two more. Bayley’s comeback is cut off with a powerbomb out of the corner so Moon goes up. That takes too long though and it’s a super Bayley To Belly to retain the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was decent while it lasted with the ending being the big highlight. Moon went flying off that Bayley To Belly and looked completely done after crashing down. The rest of the match was nothing of note and felt like it could have been on any given episode of Smackdown. Moon just never clicked on the main roster but wound up going that much better once she moved on, which is the case with a bunch of people from this era.

We recap Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens. McMahon bragged about being the Best In The World and gone completely insane with his bragging about everything he does. Owens doesn’t like McMahon being all obsessed with himself and not listening to the fans. Therefore, it’s time to fight, with Owens’ job being on the line.

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

Elias, McMahon’s crony, is guest outside referee. McMahon immediately bails to the floor, where Owens argues with Elias, while the regular referee starts the count. Owens gets back in and McMahon runs again, with Elias tripping Owens down. That’s enough of a distraction for McMahon to send him crashing into the barricade and take over. Back in and McMahon is somehow already red, which is made even worse as he hammers away in the corner.

More pounding looks to set up the Sharpshooter but Owens isn’t laying for that. Instead it’s the pop up sitout powerbomb for…nothing as Elias distracts the other referee. McMahon’s rollup gets two so Elias throws in a chair, with McMahon begging for the shot to the face. A slap to the face still can’t get Owens to crack but McMahon hits an interfering Elias by mistake.

The superkick and Swanton set up a frog splash but Elias pulls the referee. A flip dive off the apron takes out both referees so Owens grabs the referee, only for Elias to pull him outside again. Owens unloads on Elias with the spear but the referee gets back in to stop him from using the chair on McMahon. Instead the referee gets rid of the chair and Owens gets in a low blow. The Stunner finishes McMahon at 9:22.

Rating: C. This one didn’t work so well either, as so much of it was spent on McMahon running away. That works for a few minutes, but then he had to go on offense and that was as horrible as you would expect. Owens coming back to win in the end was the good way to go for the finish, but dang McMahon was rough to watch.

We get a long recap of Roman Reigns being attacked. Someone dropped a bunch of equipment on him and he accused Samoa Joe, only to have Joe be proven innocent. Then he thought it was Buddy Murphy, who said it was Erick Rowan, who swore it wasn’t him (it was). And that’s it.

Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus

Battle of the generations and Stratus gets the big legends reception. They take their time to lock up until Charlotte powers her into the corner a few times. A backbreaker is loaded up but Stratus reverses into a springboard hurricanrana and Charlotte isn’t happy. Stratus sends her outside for the Thesz press and right hands but Charlotte is back with a hard whip into the barricade.

Back in and Charlotte slowly kicks away before sending her flying with a fall away slam. Charlotte mocks Stratus’ pose, allowing Stratus to reverse a belly to back suplex into a crossbody for a fast two. One heck of a big boot knocks Stratus off the apron and outside for a huge crash. Back in and the moonsault misses, allowing Stratus to get in a springboard spinning Downward Spiral. For some reason Charlotte goes up, meaning she has to block a Stratusphere.

That lets Stratus do a big situp and slap away, with the super hurricanrana getting two. Another big boot gives Charlotte two but the Figure Four is blocked. Instead Stratus gets one of her own and even bridges up to the Figure Eight. Charlotte finally makes the rope and tries the spear, which only hits the corner. Stratusfaction gets two and they strike it out until the Chick Kick gives Stratus two more. Back up and Charlotte hits another big boot, setting up the Figure Four/Eight to make Stratus tap at 16:37.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was rather impressive, as Stratus not only turned back the clock but wrestled a mostly modern style match. It’s a great example of someone showing that she was indeed great and could hang with another generation. Stratus was the biggest star of her time but it’s a shame that generation was never treated seriously. This showed what she could do and of course Charlotte can have a great one with anybody. I liked this a lot and got way more into it than I was expecting.

Post match Charlotte leaves and Stratus gets the big legends reception.

Seth Rollins, with his taped up ribs, runs into Bret Hart, who wishes him well. Rollins seems impressed.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton for the former’s Smackdown World Title. Kingston is on the biggest Cinderella run in years and Orton takes credit for his success. This dates all the way back to 2009 when Kingston was on the brink of breaking into the main event scene with one heck of a feud with Orton, who then wasn’t happy with how things went and reportedly held him down backstage (actually referenced here). It took ten years and the rise of the New Day to get Kingston here and now he’s defending against Orton.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

Kingston is defending and backs him into the corner, with Orton flipping his way out. Orton wins a slugout and manages to knock Kingston off the top for a crash into the barricade. That lets Orton send him into the announcers’ table, followed by the big drop onto it, as is Orton’s custom. The slow beating continues and they go back inside, with Orton uppercutting him right back to the floor.

Another drop onto the table has Kingston rocked and they head inside again. This time Orton slowly hammers him on the top, where Kingston fights back for the first time in a good while. A top rope tornado DDT gives Kingston two and they’re both down for a bit. Trouble In Paradise is blocked though and Orton plants him down for two more. Back up and Orton mocks the rhythmic clapping, which lets Kingston knock him outside for the big top rope trust fall.

Kingston sends him back inside for the frog splash high crossbody but Orton grabs a quick hanging DDT. That’s not enough for the RKO as Kingston counters into a backslide for two. Another high crossbody is loaded up but Kingston dives into the RKO, leaving Orton rather pleased but not covering. Kingston rolls outside in time and they slug it out for the double countout at 16:28.

Rating: C. Yeah this didn’t work, as it got dull for a long while and then the ending was little more than a commercial for the rematch the next month. It doesn’t help that the point of the match was Orton kept saying he was that much better than Kingston and had him in trouble for most of the match. If Orton covered after the RKO he would have won, which doesn’t exactly help Kingston’s case. Just not a fun match with a dull finish to make it even worse.

Post match the fans are livid and are quiet as Kingston unloads on Orton, even beating him down with a kendo stick. Trouble In Paradise leaves Orton laying.

We recap the Fiend vs. Finn Balor. Bray Wyatt has been doing his Firefly Fun House stuff for months now and has targeted Balor. This has resulted in the Fiend appearing to come after Balor, who says he isn’t afraid. Those do not sound like smart words.

Finn Balor vs. The Fiend

This is the Fiend’s in-ring debut. The lights go out and here he comes, complete with the human head lantern for quite the disturbing start to everything. Fiend does the full entrance and the lights come on, with the fans realizing this is different. Balor slowly gets back inside and is promptly beaten into the corner. Fans: “YOWIE WOWIE!” Fiend hammers away in the corner and then pulls him back out for a big crash.

The release Rock Bottom plants Balor as this is in full squash territory. Fiend seems shaken by some voices in his head but tries Sister Abigail anyway, only for Balor to kick his way out. Balor kicks away and shotgun dropkicks him into the corner, only to miss the Coup de Grace. That’s enough for a Mandible Claw to finish Balor off at 3:29.

Rating: C+. That couldn’t have gone much better, as Fiend came in and completely decimated Balor in short order. Balor got in a few shots of his own and was then promptly beaten down. That’s all this needed to be, as Fiend is clearly the next big bad and would be going after the World Title after the end of the next month’s PPV.

Post match Balor slowly gets up, looking like he’s been run over by a bus.

We recap Seth Rollins challenging Brock Lesnar for the Raw World Title. Rollins beat Lesnar for the title at Wrestlemania but Lesnar used Money In The Bank to get it back. Lesnar has proceeded to beat the fire out of Rollins and badly injured Rollins’ ribs. Rollins has to keep fighting though because this is all that matters to him. I’ve heard worse ideas, but it would have worked that much better if he hadn’t beaten Lesnar five months ago.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is challenging and Heyman does the big intro. Rollins gets knocked into the corner for the shoulder to the ribs to start. A German suplex is escaped though and Rollins gets in a Stomp for two a minute in. Heyman panics as Lesnar rolls outside, with Rollins hitting a knee off the apron. Back in and Rollins flips out of another German suplex, setting up a pair of good looking superkicks.

Another Stomp is countered into the F5 though and they’re both down. Lesnar is ticked off and swings him around by the tape on the ribs, followed by the trash talking German suplex. They go outside for another German suplex to put Rollins down again. Rollins escapes the F5 though and posts Lesnar, setting up the springboard knee to the head back inside. Another knee misses though and Rollins is sent flying with the release German suplex.

A frustrated Lesnar takes the gloves off and suplexes Rollins again, followed by the waistlock to stay on the ribs. Lesnar drives him into the corner but the charge only hits the post. Rollins kicks him off the apron and there’s the string of suicide dives. The third is pulled out of the air though and Lesnar drives him hard into the post.

That’s enough for Rollins to put him onto the announcers’ table for the frog splash from the post. Back in and another frog splash hits Lesnar, followed by a Stomp for two as Heyman is panicking more than usual. Another Stomp is countered into a failed F5 attempt, with Rollins escaping for a superkick. The third Stomp gives Rollins the title back at 13:18.

Rating: B. They beat the fire out of each other and did a nice mixture of the big car crash exchange of finishers and a regular Lesnar beating. Rollins knows how to fight against Lesnar and these two do have good chemistry together. At the same time, it only has so much impact when Lesnar was only champion for about a month. This gets us right back where we were in July and that’s not exactly a top level Summerslam main event story.

Rollins celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event title change was good, though I would have considered Charlotte vs. Stratus going on last. If not for Rollins winning, it feels like it would have been a better fit. At the same time, the fans needed something happy after the not great Smackdown World Title match and the Fiend smashing through Balor.

Overall it’s not a bad show at all, but there are some parts that are less than interesting. Get the midcard a bit stronger and this show is that much better, with Charlotte vs. Stratus, Goldberg’s spears and the main event being the highlights. It’s not the most memorable show, but it does have good parts.

Results
Drew Gulak b. Oney Lorcan – Torture rack neckbreaker
Buddy Murphy b. Apollo Crews via DQ when Erick Rowan interfered
Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross b. IIconics – twisted Bliss to Royce
Becky Lynch b. Natalya – Disarm-Her
Goldberg b. Dolph Ziggler – Jackhammer
AJ Styles b. Ricochet – Styles Clash
Bayley b. Ember Moon – Super Bayley To Belly
Kevin Owens b. Shane McMahon – Stunner
Charlotte b. Trish Stratus – Figure Eight
Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton went to a double countout
The Fiend b. Finn Balor – Mandible Claw
Seth Rollins b. Brock Lesnar – Stomp

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Summerslam 2010
Date: August 15, 2010
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 14,178
Commentators: Matt Striker, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

This is the Nexus show, as the main event is an elimination tag between Team WWE and the Nexus. The evil group has been ransacking the company all summer and it’s time for John Cena to stand up to them for good. Why the big elimination tag is at Summerslam instead of Survivor Series isn’t clear but not a lot about this story went well. Pretty much nothing else matters on this show so let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about change, which can come in a variety of forms. The show’s three main matches all get a look, with the big elimination tag getting the major focus, as it should.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston

Ziggler, with Vickie Guerrero, is defending. Guerrero says EXCUSE ME and has something to say, but Kingston cuts her off and we’re ready to go. They start fast with Kingston getting the better of things but Guerrero pulls Ziggler out of the way of a dive, sending Kingston crashing down hard. Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long for Ziggler and he kicks Kingston back into the corner.

A Hennig necksnap gives Ziggler two and it’s off to a reverse chinlock. Kingston can’t fight out and we get to continue this thrilling hold. Back up and Ziggler misses a splash in the corner, allowing Kingston to start firing back for a bit. Kingston’s high crossbody is rolled through for two and Ziggler gets the same off a Fameasser. Trouble In Paradise misses though and Ziggler gets his sleeper…and the Nexus runs in to lay them both out for the no contest at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The match had some moments but there is only so much you can do in what was basically a Raw match. A good chunk of those seven minutes were spent in Ziggler’s chinlock and that didn’t make for the most thrilling star. The good thing is that these two fought so many times that they could have a nice match in their sleep, but they were in a tough spot here.

Post match Nexus lays Kingston out with ease. Wade Barrett calls that a preview for what is in store for Team WWE tonight. Team WWE is looking for a seventh member but anyone they pick won’t make a difference. The locker room is such a mess that they couldn’t get together to sign a birthday card, let alone form a cohesive unit. On the other hand, Nexus is united and ready to fight.

Chris Jericho tries to get Miz (Mr. Money In The Bank and the US Champion) to join Team WWE. Edge, already on the team, enjoys a Slim Jim and says tonight is about seizing the ultimate opportunity. Miz isn’t sure if he wants Nexus on his plate, but he’ll take that Slim Jim.

Divas Title: Alicia Fox vs. Melina

Fox is defending, it’s the Raw Women’s Title at this point and this is the Ariane Special. Melina pushes her into the corner to start but Fox is right back with a rather impressive headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Melina stomps her down, followed by some double knees in the corner.

Melina grabs a flapjack but her knee is banged up, though she’s fine enough to snap off a superkick. Fox sends her into the post and things slow down again, with Fox then kicking her in the arm. Not the leg, which is hurt and was hurt before, but the arm, because of course. Commentary tries to make sense of it but Melina is back up with a rollup for two to get them out of that mess. Melina shrugs that off, hits a dropkick and grabs what would become known as a BFT for the title at 5:23.

Rating: D+. Shockingly enough, this really didn’t work, as the title was in a rather terrible place at this time. Melina was talented, but there is only so much you can do when you have her bad knee right there and Fox goes after the arm. On top of that, the match was another one that belonged on Raw, which doesn’t make it that much better.

Post match Melina is asked about her win for the sole purpose of having Laycool (with their broken title) interrupt. They mock Melina’s looks and then go to REAL TALK because there are three champions in the ring at the moment. Layla says that Melina has cellulite (which McCool doesn’t understand) so they tease some photos, with Melina trying to fight both of them off. As usual it works for awhile but the numbers get the better of her. Fox gets back Sup to go after Melina and gets taken out by Laycool as well.

We recap Big Show unmasking the bald CM Punk (who sold it like he was being dropped into a vat of boiling butter). This sent Punk and his Straightedge Society after Show, with the team crushing Show’s hand. I think you know where this is going.

Straightedge Society vs. Big Show

Serena is here with the Society (and Punk’s I BROKE BIG SHOW’S HAND is a great touch). Show has a big surprise of his own though: the hand is totally fine. Mercury charges at Show to start and is knocked down just as quickly. Gallows gets one heck of a loud chop and Punk wants a meeting before facing Show himself.

This results in Mercury and Gallows getting thrown outside and now Punk realizes he’s in trouble. Serena’s distraction works for a bit but Punk can’t stomp the hand on the steps again. Instead Show chops the steps by mistake (that’s on him for being dumb), allowing the rest of the Society to jump him at once. The group beatdown is on but Show shrugs them off without much trouble and clears out Gallows and Mercury.

Punk kicks his way out of a chokeslam and avoids a charge in the corner. The running knees in the corner stagger Show and a double DDT gets two, with the kickout sending Mercury all the way back to the floor. Punk hammers away but gets caught in a fireman’s carry. The other two try to go after Show, earning Punk a dump over the top. That’s enough for Punk, who leaves with Serena, as Show chokeslams Mercury onto Gallows for the double pin at 6:49.

Rating: C+. This was a nice way to keep the feud going, as the whole point is to see Show get his hands on Punk. We got a taste of that here and it worked out well enough, though it would be nice to see something important actually happen on this show. That is kind of the point of Summerslam yes?

Smackdown World Champion Kane is ready to end Rey Mysterio and slams a casket shut. Raw World Champion Sheamus comes up to say the casket is too big for someone like Mysterio. It’s perfect for Randy Orton though so maybe Sheamus can use it after his match. Kane: “No.” Sheamus says he’s being called the real Big Red Machine around here so Kane threatens to disembowel him. That’s enough for Sheamus to leave after a rather intense comeback from Kane.

Here is Miz for an unscheduled chat. Striker thinks it might be to cash in his Money In The Bank and Cole thinks that’s a great point. Lawler points out that there’s no champion out here and that’s shut down rather quickly. Anyway Miz asks if he should join Team WWE because a lot of people in the back think he should. The team has been begging him to join for weeks because they understand that he is the future.

Bret Hart has called him the excellence of execution, R-Truth wrote him a bad rap and he’s shown that he was the Shawn Michaels to John Morrison’s Marty Jannetty. So is he joining Team WWE? Yes. Miz loads up his catchphrase but gets annoyed at the fans wanting to do it with him. Now the catchphrase can be completed. Cole freaking out over Miz being the big savior is great.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Sheamus for the latter’s World Title. Orton is on a roll and wants his World Title back from Sheamus, who won it earlier this year thanks to some Nexus interference. He has his shot, but if Orton loses, he never gets another shot at Sheamus.

Raw World Title: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

Orton is challenging and if anyone interferes, they’re suspended. Feeling out process to start with Sheamus posing at him, earning quite the stomping down into the corner. Orton’s running clothesline out of the corner lets him stomp away for two and another clothesline drops Sheamus again. They fight outside with Orton knocking him over the barricade but noticing the count and getting back inside in time.

The stomping gets two more and they go outside again, with Orton whipping him into various things. Sheamus reverses a hard whip into the steps though, which is finally enough for a breather. Back in and Sheamus hammers away, setting up the reverse chinlock. A suplex gets Orton out of trouble but the hanging DDT is broken up with a rather nasty backdrop. Sheamus ax handles him down for two and goes after the arm. Granted not the arm that went into the steps but it’s better than Alicia Fox.

Sheamus goes for the armbar but misses a charge into the post, allowing Orton to knock him down for two, with the bad arm making it a weak cover. Orton fights back and hits the powerslam before Sheamus misses a charge into the post. The arm is fine enough to catch Orton in the Irish Curse but the Brogue Kick misses and Sheamus crashes out to the floor.

Back in and the hanging DDT connects and the fans go nuts as Orton goes into flopping like a fish mode. The RKO is shoved away to give Sheamus two though and the Brogue Kick connects…for two more. With the frustration setting in, Sheamus goes to get a chair and shoves the referee for the DQ at 18:56.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was ok, with the result not being the greatest as Orton wins, meaning he can get another title shot. At the same time it was only a pretty good match, with the fans going nuts for Orton but not much going on until the last few minutes. Again, it feels like something setting up another match down the road and that’s not what I want from Summerslam.

Post match Sheamus takes too long loading up the chair and gets kicked low, allowing Orton to use said chair. They go outside with Orton clearing off the announcers’ table for the RKO onto (not through) the table. Orton leaves and Sheamus can barely move so the fans want Miz and get….nothing.

We recap Kane defending the Smackdown World Title against Rey Mysterio. Someone has attacked the Undertaker and Kane has sworn to find out who did it. Kane attacked various people before naming Mysterio as the attacker. Mysterio denied it but is fine with getting the title shot anyway. Then Mysterio said Kane was the attacker, which Kane angrily denied. This doesn’t sound like it is going to end well.

Smackdown World Title: Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane is defending and wheels out a casket, with promises to put Mysterio in it after the match. Mysterio picks up the pace to start and misses an early 619. Instead Kane sends him rolling to the floor but Mysterio is back up with a dive off the apron. Back in and Kane’s arm gets snapped over the top rope, only for Kane to knock him off the top.

Mysterio gets sent ribs first into the post for a nasty crash and Kane drives him back first into the post a few times to make it worse. A whip into the corner gives Kane two (with an odd hook of the inside leg) and he slaps on the bearhug. Mysterio fights out and is promptly clotheslined right back down. Back up and Mysterio manages a top rope headbutt from the top (nice) but gets backbreakered for two more.

Kane gets caught going up and something like a Destino, followed by a tornado DDT give Mysterio two each. Mysterio Drops The Dime for two and kicks Kane in the head for two more, leaving they’re both down. Back up and Kane opens the casket, which is empty, allowing Mysterio to fail at the 619. Kane kicks him into the casket so Mysterio fights out and closes the casket, followed by a springboard dropkick. Now the 619 can connect but Kane boots him in the face. The chokeslam retains the title at 13:32.

Rating: C+. This got going better near the end but they were all but saying that Mysterio was just a warm body to give Kane something to do before Undertaker came back to fight Kane. Mysterio knows how to fight a monster and the match wasn’t bad, but much like a lot of other things on this show, it didn’t feel important and that’s not a good thing. At least they didn’t go too long though.

Post match Kane promises Mysterio eternal punishment and opens the casket, revealing…nothing. You can hear the fans sounding disappointed but Mysterio fights back and Kane closes the casket again (there it is). A chokeslam and Tombstone plant Mysterio so Kane opens the casket again…and NOW Undertaker is inside to give the show a big moment.

Undertaker looks very shaky (remember that he’s recovering from a major attack) and Kane looks terrified. Undertaker gets in Mysterio’s face and asks if he has ever heard of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. He asks Mysterio why he did it but Mysterio swears it wasn’t him.

With a grab of the neck, Undertaker says he believes Mysterio and then does the throat slit, only to turn to face Kane. Well yeah, of course it was Kane. Undertaker grabs Kane by the throat but he’s still weak, allowing Kane to fight back and beat him down. This would result in Kane actually beating Undertaker twice in a row, including in the Cell (which was the last time the World Heavyweight Title headlined a PPV for over three years).

We look at WWE’s charity stuff, plus a Summerslam Axxess.

We recap the main event. Nexus arrived in June and has turned into an unstoppable force. John Cena has led the charge for WWE (shocking isn’t it) and joined forces with a bunch of people to fight back in the form of an elimination tag (which is odd as Bragging Rights and Survivor Series were coming up in a few months).

Anyway, Team WWE had problems, with some of the quitting along the way. Great Khali has been taken out and didn’t have a seventh member until tonight. Chris Jericho and Edge quit and rejoined the team as well and Miz joined earlier so things are even. Well as even as it can be with David Otunga and Michael Tarver on a team.

Team WWE vs. Team Nexus

WWE: John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, R-Truth, John Morrison, The Miz
Nexus: Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver

Elimination rules and dang We Are One is a catchy song. Miz comes out last but hold on as Cena says wait a minute. Cena declares that Miz is too late because he already has a seventh man. The team has agreed to this because it is someone who hates Nexus as much as them…and it’s the returning Daniel Bryan (Cole LOSES IT, almost as much as anyone on WWE.com earlier in the day lost it when they spoiled Bryan’s return by mistake). The brawl is on before the bell and Nexus is cleared out with ease as Barrett has to calm everyone else down. Bryan kicks Young down to start and the LeBell Lock gets the tap at 43 seconds.

As commentary points out, that’s the first time Nexus doesn’t have the numbers advantage and it’s off to Gabriel, who gets elbowed in the face by Jericho. R-Truth comes in for something like a Stunner for two but Gabriel kicks him down. It’s off to Tarver to hammer R-Truth into the corner but Morrison gets the tag, along with a Flying Chuck. Starship Pain gets rid of Tarver at 3:35 and it’s already 7-5.

Nexus has a meeting on the floor and it’s Sheffield (Ryback) coming in to shove Morrison down. Back up and Morrison slaps him in the face, earning himself a hard powerslam. Morrison is whipped hard into the corner and suplexed down even harder for another near fall. A kick to the back of the head from the apron cuts off Morrison’s comeback and Sheffield lariats him for the pin at 7:32. R-Truth comes in and gets lariated down as well for the pin to tie it up at 8:00.

Jericho comes in for a quick shot but is knocked into the corner with Otunga getting to come in for a slam. Jericho fights out of the corner though and hands it off to Hart, who gets quite the reaction as he beats on Slater in the corner. An atomic drop and clothesline set up the Sharpshooter but Nexus sends in a chair. Sheffield comes after Hart, who grabs the chair and blasts Sheffield, which is a DQ (I wonder if Hart was unable to take a bump, which if true is perfectly fine) at 12:08.

Hart yells a lot before leaving, with Jericho’s Codebreaker and Edge’s spear finishing Sheffield at 13:13, leaving us at four each. Gabriel is in next and gets booted by Edge but kicks Edge right back down. It’s back to Slater to stomp away before Barrett sends Edge into the buckle. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Edge is back up to knock Barrett down. Otunga is dropped as well and it’s back to Jericho to pick up the pace. The Walls make Otunga tap at 19:13 and Jericho beats up Slater on the floor.

Back in and the elbow drops Slater but Jericho runs into Cena by mistake. That’s enough for Slater to hit Sweetness (basically a Zig Zag) for the pin on Jericho at 20:05. Edge is so livid that he argues with Cena, who walks away, but Slater rolls Edge up for the pin at 20:38. That has Edge even angrier and he takes Cena out, with Jericho getting in a shot of his own. The banged up Cena is sent back inside as Cole goes on a rant about how much better it would be with Miz instead of Bryan.

Cena is too hurt to make a comeback and gets knocked down by Gabriel, allowing Barrett to come back in. A suplex gets Cena out of trouble but Slater cuts off the tag attempt. Cena and Slater clothesline each other though and it’s back to Bryan to clean house. The suicide dive hits Slater and even Cole has to admit Bryan is showing heart. Back in and Slater taps to the LeBell Lock at 29:03, leaving us with Cena/Bryan vs. Barrett/Gabriel.

Cue Miz with the Money In The Bank briefcase to Bryan though and Barrett gets the pin at 29:32, leaving Cena all alone. Cena gets back in and fires off the shoulders, followed by the ProtoBomb. Barrett makes the save and comes in to stomp away, with Gabriel getting to do some of the same. With nothing else working, Nexus takes Cena outside and peel back the floor mats. Barrett DDTs him onto the concrete and takes him back inside, where Cena avoids Gabriel’s 450 for the pin at 34:50. Barrett comes in and gets STF’d for the tap at 35:15.

Rating: C. I remember being ok with this at the time and now I remember wondering how in the world this was ever approved. The key to Nexus was that they could survive as a big group and here they are losing as a big group. Therefore, why should anyone worry about them after this? No one could ever find an answer and while the team would be around for a few months, with Barrett focusing on the World Title, this was pretty much the fatal blow.

Cena has since said that this was a bad idea (because it was his idea) but the team was finished here and pretty much everyone knew it. The match wasn’t even that great as it was just a Survivor Series match, making me wonder WHY THEY DIDN’T DO THIS AT SURVIVOR SERIES! Bryan coming back was a nice surprise (if you stayed offline during the show) but it’s not like there was anything must see in here. Really big miss here and unfortunately it finished a pretty weak show.

Overall Rating: D+. And that’s probably being generous. There is nothing on here worth seeing with most of the matches feeling like they were just previews for something else. That might be fine for like, Night Of Champions, but this is one of the biggest shows of the year. The main event, while fine for the most part, is a huge letdown as Nexus just dies right in front of our eyes. This show wasn’t awful, but it was rather dull and in this case, that’s a lot worse.

Results
Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler went to a no contest when Nexus interfered
Melina b. Alicia Fox – Faceplant
Big Show b. Straightedge Society – Double pin
Randy Orton b. Sheamus via DQ when Sheamus shoved the referee
Kane b. Rey Mysterio – Chokeslam
Team WWE b. Nexus last eliminating Wade Barrett

 

 

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Summerslam 1997
Date: August 3, 1997
Location: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 20,213
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Jim Ross

We’re in a very different era now as the WWF has finally realized they needed to step things up against WCW. The result was the rise of Steve Austin in his war against the Hart Foundation. Tonight we have a main event of the now heel Bret challenging Undertaker for the world title with Shawn as guest referee along with the match that changed the wrestling world forever. Let’s get to it.

We open with the Star Spangled Banner which isn’t done often enough on PPV broadcasts.

The opening video talks about how heroes aren’t forever with a focus on Bret going from the top of the world to America’s public enemy #1 and Undertaker having to deal with a nightmare from his past.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mankind

This is in a cage match and the continuation of a great feud. HHH beat Mankind to win the King of the Ring but had to cheat to do it, sending Mankind after revenge. You can only win by escape which I always like. Mankind is also one half of the tag team champions as Dude Love at this point. Helmsley dives for the door but Mankind makes an easy save. He pulls HHH off the cage wall and pounds HHH down into the corner. The running knee into HHH’s head gives us a BANG BANG as this is one sided so far.

A Texas Piledriver puts HHH down but Mankind says close the door. There’s the Mandible Claw but Chyna reaches through the bars to break it up. HHH can’t get going though as a discus lariat puts him right back down. Mankind tries to climb out but Chyna hits him in the leg, allowing Helmsley to superplex him down from the top of the cage in a big spot. Instead of leaving though HHH sends Mankind HARD into the cage and gives us a little curtsey.

More whipping into the cage ensues and HHH pounds away on Mankind’s head. You could see the mean streak starting in HHH years before it really came out. The cage is especially loud tonight which makes the shots into it sound far more brutal. HHH goes up but gets caught by the head and dragged back inside. A hard kick to the side of the head puts HHH down but Chyna interferes AGAIN with a forearm to the head. Mankind comes back with a pair of atomic drops but he walks into the facebuster to stop the momentum again.

In a creative move Mankind suplexes HHH against the cage, causing his the future Game’s legs to hang over the top. A running knee to HHH’s upside down chest brings him down and it’s time to taste the cage. HHH catches Mankind charging in with a backdrop into the cage and they both climb to the top rope. Mankind wins a slugout by crotching HHH but the landing knocks Mankind off the ropes too.

HHH’s leg is tied in the ropes but Chyna slams the door on his head to make ANOTHER save. Now she rams the referee into the steps and throws a chair in to HHH. Mankind blocks a Pedigree onto the chair and catapults HHH into the cage, knocking Chyna down to the floor. A double arm DDT onto the chair puts HHH down but Mankind can’t follow up.

Chyna comes inside and tries to drag HHH out as Mankind climbs over the top. He gets down to the apron and takes off his mask but climbs back up. The fans chant SUPERFLY as Mankind goes up, rips open his shirt to reveal a Dude Love heart, and drops an elbow off the top of the cage. Mankind climbs out and reaches the floor just before Chyna can drag HHH out to the floor.

Rating: A-. This was great stuff with Mankind overcoming everything HHH and Chyna could throw at him before hitting the huge spot to win it. There was a very good story built up between these two which would finally be blown off in a street fight at the first Raw in MSG. Great opener here and the fans were WAY into it. You could see the future in these two and it was awesome.

Post match Mankind collapses on the floor next to the cage. The Dude Love music starts playing and Mankind’s foot starts tapping. He gets up and struts to the back as Dude. The Foley character really was brilliant as he wasn’t playing three different characters but rather one with multiple personalities. That’s awesome when you think about it.

Call the Hotline!

Todd Pettingill (he still had a job at this point?) brings out the governor along with Gorilla Monsoon and the Headbangers for some reason. She got rid of some entertainment tax on wrestling shows to allow the first show in New Jersey since the 80s. Gorilla gives her a WWF Championship belt as a thank you present.

We recap Goldust vs. Brian Pillman….which is to say we hear about the stipulation: if Pillman loses he has to wear a dress until he wins again.

Video on the local festivities leading up to Summerslam.

Goldust vs. Brian Pillman

Goldust is a face by this point. Pillman jumps him to start but Goldust hits a jumping back elbow out of the corner. He pounds on Brian in the corner and kisses him to the floor but Pillman is ticked off. Brian drops Goldust with a clothesline and goes after Malena, only to be headed off by Goldie with an uppercut. Back in and Pillman takes him down with a snap suplex but Goldust crotches him off the top.

Marlena blows cigar smoke in Pillman’s face, causing him to hide behind her and sucker Goldust into a DDT on the floor. A top rope forearm/clothesline gets two for Brian and we hit the chinlock. Pillman looks INSANE which fits the Loose Canon character very well. Back up and a clothesline puts Goldust down for two but Goldie hits one of his own to stagger Pillman. They slug it out with a double fist to the face putting Brian down. The bulldog is blocked and Goldie falls to the outside. He tries a sunset flip as he comes back in and a purse shot from Marlena is enough to pin Pillman.

Rating: D. The match sucked for the most part with no real flow to it at all. This was a long running feud which was supposed to end with Marlena leaving Goldust for Pillman but Brian would be dead in about two months to prevent that from happening. It’s a shame he was so banged up that he never got to realize his potential due to his injuries.

There’s a new attendance record for a WWF event in this arena.

Godwinns vs. Legion of Doom

The Godwinns are in Deliverance mode at this point and the LOD are done with the war against the Hart Foundation and in need of a good feud. Unfortunately there wasn’t a good team for them to feud with so we’re stuck with the Godwinns. Henry had his neck broken in a Doomsday Device months ago, prompting an attack on the LOD. The LOD has sworn revenge to set this up.

The LOD are actually referred to as Road Warriors here which is rare for the WWF. LOD cleans house to start, sending the Godwinns to the floor with Hawk hitting a clothesline off the apron. We get started with Phineas vs. Animal with the latter missing a charge into the corner, allowing the hog dudes to double team him. Animal comes back with a double clothesline of his own to send the Godwinns to the floor.

Off to Henry vs. Hawk with Henry trying to hurt Hawk’s neck as a receipt. Hawk sends him into the steps before dropping some legs for two back inside. Back to Phineas for a hangman’s choke on Hawk to no avail. Animal comes back in to work Henry’s arm before a Cactus clothesline from Animal puts both guys on the floor. Henry knocks Animal into the barricade as they come back in to shift momentum. Lou Albano is in the front row.

Back in and Phineas puts Animal in a bearhug as the crowd gets hot all over again. As the hold continues, Lawler talks about Blue Ball, Arkansas. I really don’t have a joke there but you have to mention that name. Animal breaks free but Henry breaks up the hot tag attempt. Phineas goes up but jumps into a clothesline and now we get the hot tag off to Hawk. House is cleaned as everything breaks down but Phineas breaks up the Doomsday Device on Henry. Not that it matters as the LOD hit a spike piledriver on a guy recovering from a broken neck for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was supposed to be about revenge but the match never acted like that at all. The Godwinns were horrible as heels and this was a very dull match as a result. LOD still had a little bit in the tank here but they were going to explode in the next few months but almost no one cared.

We get clips of fans winning a contest for a shot at a million bucks. The fans are here and get to pick a key to try to open Undertaker’s casket which contains cash. Two more fans are called but one isn’t home and the other is disconnected. We finally get through to someone but nobody wins. Sunny’s cleavage looked GREAT though.

We recap British Bulldog vs. Ken Shamrock which is another spinoff from the Border War. Bulldog was about to lose an arm wrestling match on Monday so he laid Shamrock out with a chair and shoved dog food down his throat.

European Title: Ken Shamrock vs. British Bulldog

Bulldog (defending) has agreed to eat dog food if he loses, but we see a graphic for Bulldog vs. Shawn at One Night Only for the European Title, which foreshadows things a little bit. It’s a power match to start until Shamrock hits a wicked belly to belly, sending Bulldog to the floor. Back in and Shamrock takes him down by the leg but Bulldog is quickly into the ropes. A hard clothesline gets two for Ken but Bulldog gets a boot up in the corner and takes over.

The delayed suplex gets two and we hit the chinlock. The fans chant USA as this hold just keeps going. This is one of those matches that goes on for less than eight minutes but needs to have a fourth of it spent in a chinlock. A small package gets two for the champion and it’s back to the chinlock. Shamrock is sent shoulder first into the post and out to the floor where he comes back with some right hands. Back in and Bulldog pounds away even more and Shamrock is bleeding from the mouth. We hit the third chinlock before going back to the floor for Bulldog to hit him in the face with dogfood. Shamrock snaps and it’s a DQ.

Rating: D. This didn’t do anything for me at all. The match was only seven and a half minutes and we had three chinlocks and two trips to the floor. Shamrock wasn’t ready for a long match yet and Bulldog wasn’t capable of carrying anyone at this point. Nothing to see here but it was just leftovers from the summer anyway.

Post match Shamrock chokes Bulldog out for a VERY long time, to the point where Bulldog would be dead. The referees get suplexes.

Shawn Michaels says he’ll be a fair referee and there’s nothing between him and Bret.

Los Boricuas vs. Disciples of Apocalypse

This is the Puerto Rican gang vs. the bikers as GANG WARZ continue. Vince calls this an eight man tag because he doesn’t care enough about any of these guys. These guys feuded FOREVER and I don’t remember the bikers ever winning a match in the feud. Savio Vega and Crush are the respective leaders and the rest are pretty interchangeable other than Chainz being the only other biker with hair.

It’s a brawl to start of course and the bikers clear the ring. Skull starts with Jose and the big man throws him around with ease. Off to 8 Ball who hits a spinning sidewalk slam before bringing in Crush. Miguel comes in but walks into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for no cover. Back to Skull and 8 Ball (identical twins) to crush Miguel in the corner until Savio cheats to take over. All four Boricuas pound on Skull in the corner until the Nation of Domination (now with Ahmed Johnson) comes down to ringside, basically stopping the match cold.

Jesus hits a Fameasser on Skull to set up another four on one beatdown. We hit a chinlock but 8 Ball breaks it up to prevent further boredom. Skull finally gets over for the tag and everything breaks down. Chainz is sent to the floor and punches Ahmed who responds with a sitout powerbomb on the concrete, giving Miguel an easy pin in the ring.

Rating: D-. Oh man this was dull to sit through. Los Boricuas just weren’t interesting at all and other than Savio they easily could have been interchanged with one another. The bikers weren’t much better but at least you could remember which was which. I guess the idea here was to appeal to a wider fanbase but it didn’t do anything for me.

A 12 man brawl follows.

We recap Austin vs. Owen. Hart is Intercontinental Champion and pinned Austin in the ten man tag main event of Canadian Stampede. Tonight is their one on one showdown and if Austin loses he has to kiss up to Owen shall we say. Think Vince’s special club.

Intercontinental Title: Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

Owen takes him down by the knee and wraps it around the ring post right after the bell. Back in and Austin fires off right hands and hits the Thesz press before hitting the HARD whip into the corner ala Bret. Austin pulls him around by the hair and stomps the stomach for two. Back up and Austin works the arm with a wristlock as the fans chant USA. Owen does his spinning nip up to counter but Steve casually pokes him in the eye.

Back to the armbar followed by a hammerlock slam to stay on the arm. Owen finally comes back with a jumping elbow to send Austin to the floor. He goes into the post and steps as well before going after Austin’s arm and fingers. Austin is tied in the ropes so Owen can stay on the fingers but Steve busts out a Stun Gun and a powerbomb of all things. A clothesline puts Owen on the floor again and he starts heading to the back. That would mean Austin having to pucker up so the fight continues in the aisle.

Back in and Owen takes over with a quick belly to belly and a neckbreaker for two. A top rope elbow gets two for Hart and we hit the neck crank. Austin fights back and tries a Sharpshooter but Owen goes back to the injured neck to take over again. A German suplex gets two on Austin and it’s off to a camel clutch. Owen lets it go but gets two off a DDT and hooks a chinlock. Austin gets up and they trade sleepers with Austin escaping via a jawbreaker. Hart gets two off a Russian legsweep and it’s back to the chinlock. Owen gets caught cheating and they get up again and then it happens.

Austin tries a tombstone but Owen reverses into one of his own and drops Austin on his head. This is the move that changed wrestling forever as Austin’s neck was pretty much destroyed, resulting in him completely changing his in ring style. Instead of being the well rounded wrestler that he was before, he was forced to create the Attitude Era brawling style which made millions upon millions upon millions of dollars and made Austin one of the biggest stars of all time. On top of that it required a year off for surgery but that wouldn’t come until 1999.

Anyway Austin is temporarily paralyzed so Owen can’t cover him. Hart walks around the ring shouting that Austin is done while Hebner tries to figure out what to do. Austin can move his limbs a bit as Owen tries to start a Canada chant. Austin rolls onto his stomach and in one of the toughest and dumbest moments in wrestling history, he gets the worst rollup of all time for the pin and the title before collapsing again.

Rating: B. Most famous wrestling injury of all time aside, this was a very solid match with both guys clicking very well. I’m assuming Austin was to win with the Stunner as otherwise Owen would have gotten a quick pin and gotten out of there. Austin was clearly going to be the next big thing but no one knew if he would ever walk again let alone wrestle after this match.

Austin can barely move but manages to sit up, only to fall over again. He can’t even stand up right now. Some referees get him to his feet and Austin holds up the title to a BIG pop. It takes a bunch of people to get him to the back and his legs are VERY wobbly.

We recap Bret vs. Undertaker. It’s a very basic idea: Bret was the top heel over the summer and Taker was just kind of around as world champion. Bret says if he doesn’t win the title, he’ll never wrestle in America again. Shawn Michaels is guest referee because he’s the other top guy in the company.

We get the full Canadian national anthem before Taker’s entrance.

WWF World Title: Undertaker vs. Bret Hart

Remember that Shawn is guest referee. Bret hits Undertaker in the back with the belt to start and pounds away but Undertaker throws him away and out to the floor. The champion misses a charge into the post and is sent knees first into the steps by the Canadian. Bret tries to jump off the apron at Taker but is caught in midair and slammed into the post. Back in and Undertaker works on Bret’s back before sending him into the corner a few times.

Off to a bearhug on Hart followed by a big boot to the face, but Taker misses a legdrop. A second big boot misses though and Bret goes after the knee. Hart cannonballs down onto Taker’s knee and kicks the leg out from under the 6’10 champion. As a small sidebar, Vince says that you’re not 6’10 when you’re on the mat. I’m pretty sure he still is actually, but he just can’t use that height advantage.

Hart cranks on the leg even more and puts on the Figure Four for good measure. This brings out Paul Bearer for some reason which angers the champion. Undertaker turns the hold over to escape before going after Bearer. Bret uses the distraction to jump Undertaker from behind and send him into the barricade. There’s the Figure Four around the post by Bret as he stays on Taker’s leg. Owen Hart and Brian Pillman of the Hart Foundation come out to ringside.

Taker’s leg is wrapped around another post and Bret flips off a yelling fan. Shawn hasn’t been a factor as referee yet. Back in and Bret puts on another leg lock but Taker rolls it over and uses the good leg to kick Bret in the face. With no provocation, Undertaker drops to the floor and beats up Owen and Pillman. Back in and there’s the chokeslam but Shawn is watching for more Harts. Bret heads to the floor and rams Undertaker’s back into the apron and post to take over again.

Shawn tells Bret to get back inside or the match is over. They head into the ring again with Bret getting two off a backbreaker. A suplex puts Undertaker down again and there’s the middle rope elbow for two. Bret hits a DDT for the same but Undertaker drops him face first onto the turnbuckle for two of his own. Hart goes after the back again but can’t hook the Sharpshooter. The chokeslam is countered with a kick to the leg but Undertaker hits an uppercut to put Bret down.

Undertaker hits his jumping clothesline to take over again before whipping Bret chest first into the buckle for two. Bret tries to go up but gets chokeslammed down off the top for a close two. Old School is countered and Bret superplexes Undertaker down but he can’t cover. Instead he puts on the Sharpshooter but Undertaker kicks him away, which is the first time the hold has been completely broken. Another clothesline puts Bret down but he escapes the Tombstone and puts on the Sharpshooter around the post in a new move. Taker kicks him off and he crushes Shawn in the process though.

Bret brings a chair into the ring and lays out Undertaker with no Michaels to see it. Shawn limps back into the ring but the count only gets two. Bret erupts on Shawn and flips him off before pounding away in the corner again. Shawn picks up the chair and is spat on by Bret. Shawn swings the chair but knocks Undertaker out cold, giving Bret the pin and the title.

Rating: B+. This took a lot of time to get going but with thirty minutes to use they had more than enough time to waste. Hart winning was definitely the right move after he spent all summer on top of the company. This opened up a lot more options than Taker was providing, which is what a champion is supposed to do.

Post match Undertaker is FURIOUS and goes after Shawn. The Hart Foundation celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This isn’t the worst show in the world but there’s nothing to see here other than the last two matches and the opener. Those matches take up a lot of the card but the rest of the stuff is just dreadful. This set up a lot of important stuff, ranging from the first Hell in a Cell to Kane to Montreal to Shawn breaking his back, but there’s a very clear line between the good stuff and the bad stuff.

Ratings Comparison

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mankind

Original: A

Redo: A-

Brian Pillman vs. Goldust

Original: D

Redo: D

Legion of Doom vs. Godwinns

Original: C-

Redo: D

British Bulldog vs. Ken Shamrock

Original: D-

Redo: D

Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas

Original: D

Redo: D-

Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin

Original: B

Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Bret Hart

Original: A

Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: C+

About the same other than the world title and the overall rating which doesn’t surprise me. That’s the kind of show this is.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/31/history-of-summerslam-count-up-1997-shawn-vs-taker-begins/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Summerslam 1995
Date: August 27, 1995
Location: Pittsburgh Civic Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,062
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

So it’s time for the annual redos and for some reason, my readers decided to have me watch one of the worst Summerslams of all time. I’m so thrilled. Anyway this is built around Diesel vs. King Mabel in one of those moments where Vince McMahon was considered completely insane. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about the big matches tonight, including Diesel vs. Mabel, Jerry Lawler sending his evil dentist (that will never sound normal) against Bret Hart, Kama Mustafa vs. Undertaker (over the again stolen urn) and the sequel to the ladder match (which was added because the company knew they were dead in the water otherwise).

I still love the big flying blimp in the arena. The fans behind it must be so thrilled. Now am I being sarcastic on that one?

Dean Douglas, the annoying teacher, is in the back to critique all of the matches. I’m not a Shane fan, but to go from the Franchise to this is a shame.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Hakushi

Vince: “The Kid is ready for WWF action!” You mean this isn’t the Boggle tournament? Hakushi’s White Angel look is way too awesome for a show like this. Kid grabs a headlock to start but gets taken down by the hair, with a fan opposite the hard camera being VERY upset by the cheating. A trip takes Hakushi down but he kicks Kid away, giving us a double nipup.

Back up and they both miss spinning kicks for another early standoff. Hakushi finally sends him into the corner for the handspring elbow and the fans aren’t sure what to think of it (fair enough as he’s a heel, but an awesome heel). The Bronco Buster hits Kid (so that’s where he got it) and it’s time to kick at his leg. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Hakushi sends him outside and hits a cartwheel into a backdrop over the top for your YOU DO KNOW IT’S 1995 spot.

Back in and a top rope headbutt to the standing Kid gets two but a top rope splash misses. Kid dropkicks him to the floor and hits his own dive, followed by a slingshot legdrop for two. Kid’s top rope splash connects for the patented 1-2-He Got Him NO! Back up and Kid tries a spinwheel kick but gets caught in something like a belly to back suplex to give Hakushi the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was WAY ahead of its time with stuff like the Space Flying Tiger Drop of all things being far more than you would expect from a WWF match in 1995. The Kid was very good as well and fought from underneath with his own high flying. Good stuff here, though I’m worried about what else they have for the rest of the night.

Dok Hendrix is WAY too excited to know about Mabel’s master plan. You’ll just have to wait, exactly like Big Daddy Fool. And that’s before he even gets in the ring people.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Bob Holly

Helmsley is brand new here and still an undefeated blue blood. There’s no contact for the first minute so Holly grabs him for a slam and an armdrag sends Helmsley into the corner. Holly charges at him though and gets caught in a Stun Gun to let Helmsley take over. Vince talks about wanting to see Lawler in a go kart or bumper cars as Holly gets whipped hard into the corner.

The chinlock goes on and we cut to British Bulldog arriving, even though he has nothing to say. Back in and arena and Holly’s abdominal stretch is countered with a hiptoss over the top. Holly is right back up with a DDT and the dropkick with the backdrop completing the jobber level comeback. A missed charge lets Helmsley finish with the Pedigree at 7:10.

Rating: D. Oh come on. I know it’s a different era but this made Summerslam? I can get behind the idea of a match to make a newcomer look good but this wasn’t entertaining on any level. Helmsley was clearly someone they wanted to push but this would have been boring on Raw and we get it on a pay per view. At least it was short, but that’s all I’ve got.

Some wrestlers and firemen had a charity tug of war. Nothing wrong with that.

Blu Brothers vs. Smoking Gunns

Jacob (of Jacob and Eli Blu, which sounds conspicuously like Jake and Elwood Blues) gets caught in an early armbar from Billy. It’s off to Bart in a hurry but Eli snaps his throat across the top to take over. A quick crossbody gets Bart out of trouble though and Billy comes back in.

The yet to be named H Bomb (when they would become the Harris Twins that is) plants Billy for a delayed two and it’s off to the also yet to be named Tree of Woe (1995 needs to catch up with the times already). Lawler: “I bought five copies of Windows 95 and I don’t even have a computer.” After that random line, Eli gets two off a powerslam as the second Raw level match continues. Billy gets in a dropkick and brings in Bart to clean house. Heel miscommunication lets the Sidewinder connect for the fast pin on Eli at 6:11.

Rating: D-. At least in the Helmsley vs. Holly match (something that has never been said) they were pushing someone new and fresh. Here it’s a win for the Gunns, who had been around for years and were former Tag Team Champions. And against the Blu Brothers? That’s the best they can put together for what should be the second biggest show of the year? Thank goodness we were only a few weeks away from Nitro because this is some horrible planning.

We recap Barry Horowitz vs. Skip in a rematch of the huge upset of Barry pinning Skip. Barry then won by surviving a ten minute challenge, meaning it’s time for a third match. The idea here is that Barry hasn’t won a match in years but managed to pull this one off. How this is supposed to make me want to watch isn’t clear, as Barry is only going to be known to long time fans who are going to be watching in the first place.

Barry Horowitz vs. Skip

Sunny is out with Skip and does her trademark great rant about how they were cheated twice but it won’t happen again. Barry charges to the ring (with the awesome rock version of Hava Nagila) and hammers away to start with a clothesline putting Skip on the floor. Back in and Barry gets two off an O’Connor roll before suplexing Skip over the top again. Sunny tries to throw in the towel but is told that it’s not boxing and doesn’t count. Uh, it counted for Bob Backlund in 1983.

The distraction works well enough for Skip to jump Barry from behind, meaning it’s time for some jumping jacks. For some reason, this turns into a discussion of who would win in a fight between Siskel and Ebert. Barry is back up with some shoulders for two and a sunset flip for the same. Skip runs him over again though and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and Horowitz goes old school with a Thesz press of all things for two more.

Skip pulls it back to the mat for legdrops and a chinlock but Barry jobbers up. They trade dropkicks and it’s a double knockdown as this keeps going. Another dropkick from Barry crotches him on top but Skip knocks him backwards. The Swan Dive gives Skip two so Barry hits another dropkick and goes up. This time it’s Sunny crotching him down for a change, which draws out Hakushi of all people. The distraction into a rollup lets Barry get his third straight win at 11:23.

Rating: D. AND??? Am I really supposed to get behind Horowitz after this? The guy has a career win/loss record somewhere lower than mine and now he’s getting a win on Summerslam? Somehow this is the best that they can do and that sums up a lot of the problems they were having around this point.

Dean Douglas uses a telestrator to talk about the previous match in big words. Barry gets an S for Slacker.

Shane throws it to Vince but we get Todd Pettengill instead, who gives us a look at the Wrestlemania X ladder match. Shawn Michaels says you can’t prepare for a ladder match but Razor isn’t taking his title again tonight.

Women’s Title: Bertha Faye vs. Alundra Blayze

Faye, with Harvey Wippleman, is challenging and her gimmick is that she’s large and not very attractive. This is one of those gimmicks that was bad then, worse later and horrible today. Blayze kicks her down to start and sweeps the leg for a bonus. More kicks have Bertha in trouble but she runs Blayze over, because she’s big you see.

The middle rope splash misses and Blayze gets two off a victory roll. Some running head slams get no cover as Harvey has the referee. Instead Blayze goes after him but can’t get the German suplex on Faye. A hurricanrana gives Blayze two and a missile dropkick has Faye reeling. Another dropkick misses though and it’s a sitout powerbomb to give Faye the pin and the title at 4:37.

Rating: D-. You can hear Vince laughing at this one and doing so all by himself. This gimmick isn’t funny and it’s a waste of someone as talented as she was. Is there any reason why they felt the need to humiliate someone that they brought in? There was nothing that the women could do when Faye was only allowed to use the “I’m big” offense in a short match. Terrible stuff here and it’s not on the wrestlers.

Post match Faye says she’s the beauty now and has the belt. Blayze would get it back in about two months.

We recap Undertaker vs. Kama Mustafa, who is the latest person to steal the urn (and melted it down into a big gold chain because reasons) as part of Undertaker vs. the Million Dollar Corporation, which felt like it went on forever. Kama even beat up some of the Creatures of the Night, meaning he’s gone too far. Therefore, it’s a casket match because what else could it be.

Paul Bearer and Undertaker promise to finish Kama.

Undertaker vs. Kama Mustafa

Casket match with Ted DiBiase in Kama’s corner to counter Bearer. Undertaker isn’t wasting time and picks Kama up for some choking and then throws him onto the casket. Something close to a Stinger Splash (THEY’RE DOING THE MATCH!!!) and Old School connects. The casket is opened revealing the Casket Cam as Kama is knocked in.

That goes nowhere this early and Kama is right back up with a top rope clothesline. Undertaker’s second Stinger Splash is caught with a powerslam and of course he sits up again. DiBiase offers a distraction so Kama can hammer and kick away. A clothesline puts Undertaker on top of the closed casket and a suplex does it again. Kama can’t piledrive him on the casket though and Undertaker backdrops him inside.

That’s fine with Kama, who hits a powerslam for a cover, checking off your required “I forgot this is a casket match” box. We hit the chinlock for a good while as the match just stops as they lay there. A belly to back suplex finally gives them something to do and the comeback is on.

The jumping clothesline connects but it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put them both in the casket. They come out and it’s a prototype of the famous shot of Shawn Michaels being dragged back in as Kama is put inside again. Back in and Kama grabs a swinging neckbreaker to put them both down again. The chokeslam connects though and it’s a Tombstone to finish Kama for good at 16:26.

Rating: D. It wasn’t even that it was bad but it was WAY too long with all of the laying around and Kama being the least believable opponent Undertaker has had in a long time. Kama felt like the villain in the fourth edition of an action movie series that has gone on too long and the star needed a paycheck. Really dull stuff here and the last thing the show needed.

Lawler is very excited about the idea of Isaac Yankem removing Bret Hart’s teeth.

Video on Yankem, who really is an evil dentist and we really are supposed to believe this as something threatening. Lawler vs. Hart has been going on for over two years now and has offered some awesome stuff, but as soon as Todd says “the King recruited a dentist”, it loses me a bit. Yankem is of course better known as Kane and his story of hearing that he was being brought in to be an evil dentist is rather funny.

Bret is ready to shut Lawler’s mouth. Bret to Yankem: “I don’t care if you’re a dentist.” Words never spoken in wrestling before or since.

Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart

Lawler handles Yankem’s entrance. As a bonus pun, Yankem is billed from Decay-tur, Illinois. Lawler is on commentary for a bit of a surprise as Bret gets shoved down to start. Yankem misses a big elbow but is fine enough to send Bret hard into the corner. Bret is back with an atomic drop and a clothesline for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bret hits a middle rope clothesline, followed by the headbutt to the abdomen.

The backslide gets two as Lawler is saying only Vince needs to be impartial tonight. Another hard whip into the corner takes Bret down again and Isaac chokes on the ropes until the referee drags him away by the hair. More choking ensues as Yankem doesn’t have the highest variety in his offense so far.

Bret is back up and sends him outside for a suicide dive as the comeback is on. Back in and it’s time for the Five Moves Of Doom but a Lawler distraction breaks up the Sharpshooter. Lawler stays up to cheer on Yankem’s beating (as he should) but Bret gets in a slam off the top for a rare power display.

In a change of pace, Bret ties Yankem’s legs around the post and stomps away until the referee unties Yankem’s feet. Lawler would do it but he’s too busy getting beaten up by Bret. The distraction lets Yankem hit a top rope ax handle to the back and Lawler helps him tie Bret’s neck in the ropes for the DQ at 16:10.

Rating: C+. Bret was doing everything he could here but Yankem wasn’t there yet and there’s only so much you can do as an evil dentist. The match felt straight out of Memphis with someone wanting to get at Lawler but he brought in his latest monster for protection. It’s a perfectly usable story and the match wasn’t bad, so I’ll take what I can get here.

Post match Lawler and Yankem pull at the still trapped Bret until referees break it up.

Razor Ramon isn’t scared of Shawn Michaels and he’ll take every chance he can get. If Shawn is ready to dance, Razor leads.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon

Shawn is defending in a ladder match, which was added due to “fan demand”, which is a rather accurate definition of what happened (originally scheduled to be Shawn vs. Sid before the company woke up and saw the rest of the card). The title is raised but hang on because Shawn isn’t happy with the way it’s attached to the hook (likely a problem with how the finish was supposed to go). Dok Hendrix has replaced Lawler on commentary.

They both look up at the title and then go to the slugout, as they should have done. The threat of an early superkick has Razor grabbing the ropes in a smart move. A Razor’s Edge attempt has Shawn looking worried so Razor throws him outside without much trouble. It’s time to go for the ladder but Shawn cuts Razor off from getting it. I’ve never gotten that but I guess it’s a pride thing.

They head back to the ring instead with Razor suplexing Shawn outside but Shawn’s leg hits the barricade in a nasty looking crash. Dok: “I might suggest that’s it.” Vince: “Uh yes that’s it.” Back in and Shawn escapes the Edge again but misses another superkick, meaning it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. Razor is up first and hits a super fall away slam as he continues the early dominance (they’re building things up here and that’s going to pay off in the end).

Now the ladder is brought in as we see Sid watching in the back. Shawn makes a fast save though and it’s his turn to grab the ladder, but he would rather hit Razor than climb. Razor breaks up a climb by pulling the tights down and then shoves the ladder over in a smart move. Replays show Shawn’s leg getting caught in the ladder on the way down as the focal point continues to grow.

The leg gets crushed in the ladder again and the fans aren’t pleased. Razor slams him legs first onto the ladder and then puts the ladder on the middle rope in the corner. That gives Razor another place to drop Shawn’s knee onto the ladder and it’s time to go into the Ric Flair cannonballs onto the leg. Shawn kicks him to the floor for a breather but that just lets Razor wrap the knee around the post. Back in and the knee gets wrenched again The ladder is set up in the middle of the ring but Shawn suplexes Razor back down for a double knockdown.

Shawn puts the ladder in the corner and whips Razor into it and bring the cheers back. A moonsault off the ladder lets Shawn hammer away but he misses the huge splash off the ladder (call back tot he previous match) and they’re both down again. They both make the slow climb and crash back down for a double crotching on the top. A missed charge with the ladder has Shawn falling out to the floor and Razor goes down with him. Shawn goes back in and sets up the ladder but Razor brings in a second ladder (a new concept at the time).

Razor drops his though and hits the Razor’s Edge off the original ladder for the big knockout shot. He can’t follow up though and they’re both down again. Both ladders are set up for a double climb but Shawn superkicks him down. Hang on though as Shawn isn’t under the belt so he jumps for it, meaning another crash down onto the bad leg. Another Razor’s Edge attempt is countered with a backdrop to the floor, allowing Shawn to go up and grab the title….but he falls again without the belt coming down. A ticked off Shawn goes up and pulls the title down to retain at 25:09.

Rating: A. Yeah this was outstanding and you could argue it’s better than the original. The big difference here was having the match involve a ladder instead of being about a ladder. They had a heck of a match with Razor working the leg and Shawn having to find a way around the power game. The teasing of finishers until the end was a great addition as well and the whole thing was a blast with big spots and awesome action throughout. Check this out and then go watch the first one again because you really could say either of them is better.

Post match Razor grabs the belt but hands it to Shawn for the nice moment.

Douglas doesn’t like Razor calling himself the Bad Guy when Razor comes in to knock him down with one punch.

Diesel isn’t worried about Mabel. You know, because he’s Mabel.

WWF World Title: King Mabel vs. Diesel

Mabel, with Sir Mo, is defending and the story here is finding out his Royal Plan. We get the trash talking before the bell and my goodness Mabel’s crown looks pitiful. It looks like it’s made of paper or cheap plastic and comes off like a toy instead of something serious. Kind of like his whole push in a way.

Mabel runs him over to start and chops away in the corner but Diesel forearms him back. The big slam doesn’t work so Diesel hits some clotheslines to put Mabel on the floor. Diesel actually manages a dive over the top (not terrible either) to take Mabel down but the fans just do not care. Mabel charges into a big boot but is back in with a….I guess Boss Man Slam, but he shoved Diesel down instead of picking him up. To mix it up a bit, Mabel sits on Diesel’s back but misses a backsplash.

The referee gets bumped so Mo comes in (which seems to be the Royal Plan), drawing out Lex Luger for the save. Well the attempted save at least as Luger is knocked outside, leaving Mabel to drop the leg on Diesel on the floor. Luger takes care of Mo (Did Luger just come out early or something? Also, that would be his last appearance in the company as he would debut on Nitro eight days later), leaving Mabel to hit the belly to belly for two. Mabel misses a middle rope splash though, allowing Diesel to hit a middle rope clothesline to retain at 9:16 (admittedly to a big pop).

Rating: D-. Oh come on what else were you expecting here? It’s freaking MABEL. Diesel is someone who can have a great match with the right opponent but Mabel is so far away from being the right opponent that he’s the left one. There’s no way to make this work as Mabel was nothing more than the big guy with a lame lackey. There was no way this was going to work, the match was terrible and they got them out of there almost as fast as possible. What else could this have been?

Overall Rating: D. There are some bright spots in here, but aside from the classic ladder match, this could have been any given house show. The opener was good, Bret vs. Yankem could have been a lot worse and the ladder match is awesome. Other than that, there is no reason to think of this as a special show in any way and that was very clear throughout. I know it’s a dark time for the company, but this was them putting out whatever they had because they had to do a show instead of trying to put on a great show. Terrible for the most part, with a few bright spots sprinkled in.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Summerslam 1994
Date: August 29, 1994
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 23,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

This is the old review of the year and that’s an interesting choice. The show has a double main event of WWF World Champion Bret Hart defending against his brother Owen to continue their awesome feud, plus the wholly unawesome Undertaker vs. Fake Undertaker match. It’s the best of both worlds you see. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Randy Savage to welcome us to the show, held in the brand new United Center. Somehow, this is the only pay per view the company has ever run from the arena.

Jerry Lawler has some breaking news: Shawn Michaels and Diesel have become the new Tag Team Champions after defeating the Headshrinkers last night. What an odd time to do a title change, but 1994 was an odd time.

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

IRS and Bigelow have Ted DiBiase in their corner and this was originally going to be a title match. The Headshrinkers (Samu/Fatu) have Afa and Lou Albano with them, just to crank up the bizarre state of the show so far. Bigelow runs Fatu (not Samu Vince, though to be fair it’s a pretty easy mistake to make) over with a shoulder but eats the superkick for two. Fatu avoids a very early top rope headbutt and a double superkick puts Bigelow down again. Samu comes in, so Vince says Samu is now in, after saying Samu started.

Vince really wasn’t great at this whole thing. Samu starts cleaning house and ducks an IRS charge to send him outside. Back in and Bigelow low bridges Fatu to the floor but it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. The hot(ish) tag brings Samu back in for a BAAAACK body drop and a headbutt to Bigelow, which works because Samoans have hard heads. The middle rope headbutt gets two on IRS with Bigelow making a save. With Bigelow being knocked to the floor, the double Stroke sets up the Superfly Splash but Bigelow goes after Albano. That’s enough to draw Afa in for the DQ at 7:18.

Rating: D+. Pretty lame opener here with the lack of the titles taking away the little interest this match had. The Headshrinkers are good in their roles but Bigelow and IRS are a pretty generic team who don’t have much to do here. I’m still not sure what the point is in having the titles change early. Why not just do it the next night on Raw?

They brawl to the back.

And now, for your comedy of the show. The detectives from the Naked Gun movies are trying to find the Undertaker, complete with a bunch of puns and sight gags. Such gems include “we’re both on the case” as they stand on a briefcase.

Women’s Title: Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze

Blayze is defending and Nakano has Luna Vachon in her corner. For those of you of a younger age, Nakano is a rather terrifying Japanese monster and Blayze’s archnemesis. We get the ceremonial flower presentation but Vachon throws hers at Blayze to really be a jerk. Nakano kicks her in the ribs instead of shaking hands but it’s too early for a powerbomb. A knee to the ribs cuts the champ off and Nakano throws her down by the hair.

We hit the chinlock (with Nakano’s back to the camera because she doesn’t know how to work) until Blayze makes the rope, which isn’t an escape you see that often. The yet to be named hurricanrana gives Blayze two but Nakano pulls her down into a Boston crab with both legs under one arm. With that broken up, Nakano puts on what would become Paige’s Scorpion Crosslock.

Since Blayze hasn’t been tortured enough yet, Nakano switches to a cross armbreaker. Back up and three straight running sleeper drops have Nakano in trouble but she powers out of a piledriver attempt. A powerbomb gets two on the champ as the pace has picked WAY up out of nowhere. Blayze avoids the guillotine legdrop though, kicks Vachon down and grabs the German suplex to retain at 8:17.

Rating: B. For 1994, this was some insane stuff in America, especially for a women’s match. Blayze really was good but Nakano was one of the best of the era. She was big, strong, could wrestle on the mat and had the submission skills to be that dominant. Unfortunately these two pretty much the entire division for a long time so it could only go so far.

Shawn Michaels and Diesel brag about winning the titles because the Heartbreak Hotel needed some more gold. Diesel says Razor Ramon isn’t taking one of his two titles tonight. Razor has had a bunch of chances and tonight isn’t going to change anything.

Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Razor is challenging and has NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton in his corner to balance out Shawn. The white boots are a weird look for Razor. Shawn talks trash to Payton to start and Razor fires off the right hands, which look very good against someone Diesel’s size. Back in after a quick trip to the floor and Diesel gets in his own punches to take over. A sleeper slows Razor down even more and Diesel throws him outside.

Shawn goes for the turnbuckle pad but Payton chases him off, allowing Shawn to forearm Razor behind the referee’s back. I could watch Shawn outsmart people for days. Back in again and the referee stands in front of the exposed buckle but Shawn’s second distraction allows Razor to be whipped in. Diesel hits Snake Eyes onto an unexposed buckle as Lawler thinks the pad fell off the other one. A chinlock with a knee to the back keeps Razor in trouble and a big boot knocks his head off.

We hit the abdominal stretch, which at least looks more painful than a chinlock with a knee in the back. Diesel grabs the rope, making me wish we had Bobby Heenan there to explain why it’s more to avoid a hiptoss counter than to add more leverage. Razor gets out and sends Diesel ribs first into the exposed buckle, sending Lawler into hysterics as it should.

The middle rope bulldog (the Hall Buster) gets two and there’s a right hand to knock Shawn off the apron for a great over the top sell. A flying shoulder gives Diesel a breather so Shawn goes after the belt. Payton goes after him again and of course the referee yells, allowing Shawn to superkick Diesel by mistake. Shawn gets pulled outside and Razor finally crawls over for the pin to get the title back at 15:01.

Rating: B-. I’ve always had a mixed reaction to this one as the match itself is pretty good but Payton being out there was just a celebrity cameo that could have been anyone. Razor getting the title back was the right call as Shawn and Diesel are already having issues. They could have cut a few minutes out here, but what we got was still good enough and didn’t get sunk by the extra time.

Diesel yells at Shawn all the way to the back.

Savage talks about what we just saw.

Lex Luger and Tatanka are in the back. A fan poll has 54% saying that Luger sold out to Ted DiBiase and Tatanka is tired of hearing Luger deny it. We see a montage of DiBiase and Luger getting very close, but Luger still swears there’s nothing going on because DiBiase is lying. Tatanka is going to prove his story in the ring tonight.

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

There’s no DiBiase to start. Feeling out process to start with Luger running him over but not following up. Tatanka’s armbar has no effect so Luger puts him down again, only to miss the jumping elbow (as always). That means we get more of Tatanka’s lame offense, including the top rope chop to the head. The second attempt gets punched out of the air and Luger starts in with the clotheslines. Cue DiBiase with a gym bag as Luger hits a powerslam. DiBiase pulls money out of the bag as Luger yells at him, allowing Tatanka to grab a rollup for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: D. This was all about the storyline instead of the wrestling and that’s not surprising. Neither Luger nor Tatanka were going to have a good match at this point so the story was the only way this was going to work. Tatanka was a fine midcard hand but if he had even a slightly better offense, he could have been a much bigger deal. There comes a point where you need the wrestling to back up the character and that just wasn’t the case for him.

Post match Luger kicks the money out of DiBiase’s hands so Tatanka jumps him from behind, revealing that he sold out. I’ve always liked that story, as bad as the match was. What I don’t like is how long this goes on, as Tatanka beats him up three different times, capped off by the Million Dollar Dream. We get the money in Luger’s mouth for a little old school touch.

Gorilla Monsoon is aghast at what we just saw. Agreed. That money must be filthy.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

This is going to be a disaster. During the entrances, Vince and Jerry debate the detectives’ skills and if Lawler has any rhythm. Mabel tosses away a wristlock attempt (Jarrett’s sell is quite good) and drops the big elbow when Jarrett tries a drop down. A clothesline puts Jarrett on the floor so he shoves the rapping Oscar. That’s not going to get him booed as Oscar isn’t very good. Back in and Jeff scores with some middle rope ax handles but Mabel crushes him in the corner.

The spinwheel kick (the one good thing that Mabel could do) gets two as Abe Knuckleball Schwartz (the Brooklyn Brawler as a baseball player) is on strike in the crowd. This adds nothing and isn’t funny or interesting, but it’s a thing that happens. Sounds like 1994 as a whole. They head outside with Oscar getting in a slap and Mabel splashing Jeff against the post. Back in and the middle rope splash misses, followed by a missed sitdown splash to give Jeff the pin at 5:57.

Rating: F. Oh what were you expecting here? Mabel was fat and useless while Jarrett wasn’t exactly someone who was going to carry anyone at this point, especially someone that big. This should have been on Raw at best and comes off as terrible filler here. Mainly because that’s what it was.

Vince introduces the detectives in the aisle, blowing their cover. Undertaker’s silhouette appears in the entrance but they don’t see him. Because they’re bad at their jobs you see.

We recap Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. This started way back in 1993 when Owen was the only Hart eliminated at the Survivor Series, which he blamed on Bret. Owen and Bret then teamed up to try and win the Tag Team Titles, but Bret wouldn’t tag out when injured, leading to a referee stoppage.

They went on to have a classic at Wrestlemania X with Owen pinning Bret clean. Bret won the WWF World Title later in the night and the feud was on for the rest of the summer. Owen even won the King of the Ring (just like his brother the previous year) to earn another title shot. Tonight is the big blowoff inside a cage. This really was a great feud as you could see Owen’s point all along and it built up perfectly over time.

Earlier today, Owen and crony Jim Neidhart (Bret’s former partner) were in the cage and promised to destroy Bret once and for all tonight.

Bret is going to forget they’re family tonight because Owen will be crying a river of tears, just like he did when he was a baby.

The Hart Family, including Davey Boy Smith, is at ringside and Helen can’t believe this is happening. Stu hopes the best wrestler wins and sounds as only he can. Lawler accuses both of them of causing all of this and thinks Smith will turn on Bret again. Lawler: “Wouldn’t you love to be in there with Bret again tonight?” Smith: “Uh, not really.” Neidhart is behind Smith and says we’ll see Owen prove that he’s the better man once and for all. Bruce Hart spins around and says stay out of this.

Bret, recovering from strep throat, says his condition won’t change anything tonight. What we’re going to see tonight is barbaric and nothing like what they did when they were kids. Everyone wants things to end tonight and Bret is going to finish it to heal his family.

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Bret is defending in a cage with escape only to win. Owen goes right at him to start and hammers away during the entrances, followed by some hard right hands to the head. You can see Helen panicking over the whole thing and a DDT by Bret makes things even worse. It’s too early to escape though and Owen scores with some headbutts, followed by an enziguri to really rock Bret. He’s fine enough to suplex Owen off the cage and it’s a double knockdown.

Owen goes for the door so Bret bends him around the ropes for a save and drags him right back in. They’re setting up a good feel here with both of them going for the escape and being pulled back for more punishment. That ties in the idea of wanting to hurt each other but wanting to be the better man even more, which is really what this is all about. They both wind up on the top rope and slug it out with Owen knocking him down.

Instead of getting the easy climb out though, Owen comes back with a missile dropkick into a nipup. Both make some fast climbs up the cage but get pulled down for a crash each. A collision gives us another double knockdown as they’re taking their time building the drama, mainly because they’ve got the time to do so. It’s still too early for Owen to get out the door as Bret pulls him out, only to get pulled back down from the top for a hard crotching.

Bret is up fast enough for the headbutt between the legs but Owen pulls him down again. Owen gets closer to getting out than any other attempt yet, even getting his feet and legs out of the cage. Bret pulls him back in and sends Owen face first into the cage for a big knockdown. This time the climb is cut off by a belly to back superplex as the crashes and falls are getting bigger and bigger. A good piledriver plants Bret but he’s fine enough to catch a tired Owen again.

They both fall off the ropes this time for a breather until Bret catapults him face first into the cage. Owen has to literally dive over for a save and sends Bret into the cage, with the champ coming up holding his knee. The knee is fine enough to climb up and kick Owen away but he gets pulled back down by the arm.

Owen gets out again and you can feel the fans quiet down as he gets close. He’s pulled back in yet again and Bret kicks him down to the mat but it’s Owen’s turn for a last second save. Bret catches him in the corner and pulls Owen back down with a huge superplex (Bret always had a great one) and they’re both down again. Owen is up first with a Sharpshooter but Bret reverses into one of his own.

A little cranking has Owen down but, say it with me, he lunges over for the save by pulling Bret down hair first. They both climb and this time make it over the top, leaving them hanging on the side. Bret hits him in the ribs, causing Owen to slip and get tied up in the cage wall. That’s enough for Bret to drop down and retain at 32:18.

Rating: A+. I’ve had to say this about several Bret matches before but the wrestling isn’t the point here. This was all about telling a great story and that’s what we got. The thing to remember here is that they don’t hate each other but rather Owen wants to prove he’s better and Bret wants to shut Owen up. It explains why they weren’t trying to kill each other in what is usually a violent match. Instead, they were trying to win, which should be the case in most matches and especially one like this. Notice how the match ends: not with a big spot, but with Bret being one step better than Owen, which is the point of the feud.

It is slower paced and it does feel like they’re doing the same things over and over, but it’s a case of WHY they’re doing the same things over and over. They’re not trying to destroy each other and it really is about being the better man. Owen has gone off the deep end with trying to beat Bret, but it never felt like he wanted to hurt him. That might not make for the most exciting match, but it’s how things should have gone when you think about it.

Post match Neidhart jumps the barricade and clotheslines Davey, knocking him into his wife. Neidhart locks himself inside the cage and the double beatdown is on as Owen has completely snapped. The Hart Brothers storm the cage (always cool) but Owen keeps knocking them off. Davey finally punches Owen down (for a great bump) and gets in, sending Owen and Neidhart running as the rest of the brothers get inside as well.

In the back, Owen and Neidhart yell about how Owen should be the winner and Davey isn’t family. Owen: “Let’s go celebrate my victory!”

Survivor Series ad, making fun of football. Considering how meh that show was, I wouldn’t go that way.

We recap the Undertaker vs. Undertaker. Back in January, Undertaker was destroyed by about a dozen guys and put in a casket. Not to worry as he ascended out of the casket in one of the most ridiculous things you’ll ever see in wrestling. After being gone for several months (aside from some sightings, including by a young child in school), Ted DiBiase said he had seen Undertaker. Paul Bearer said no way but DiBiase brought him back, only to reveal that it was a fake Undertaker (played by Brian Adams, better known as Chainz). The lack of about three inches was a, ahem, dead giveaway.

With Undertaker succumbing to the power of money, Bearer went to the graveyard and said he had the real Undertaker again. After the lights went out one night on the King’s Court (Todd Pettengill: “Look at that brain surgeon Jerry Lawler.”), the real Undertaker said he was back and not with DiBiase. He would be around this coming Monday (at Summerslam) against whatever DiBiase had with him. This video gets well over five minutes as we need to get rid of the cage.

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll identify them by the colors of their gloves: gray for the fake one and purple for the real. DiBiase brings his man to the ring but Bearer comes out with just a casket. There’s nothing inside though and the casket is wheeled to the back. Instead Bearer opens the Urn to reveal a light….and here’s the real Undertaker. That certainly seems to be worth the wait for the fans.

Purple shrugs off some forearms to the back and leapfrogs (!) gray, who falls to the floor. Gray stalks Bearer and gets suplexed back inside for his troubles, only to be sent right back to the floor. A Stunner over the top staggers Purple but Old School just isn’t happening. The real Old School connects and now Lawler believes Bearer has the real thing.

Purple misses a charge and falls to the floor as Vince defends the silent crowd. More right hands from gray don’t have much effect but a good looking chokeslam gets….no cover. Gray goes with a Tombstone for no cover again as he spends too long pointing at DiBiase. Purple hits a Tombstone of his own, followed by a second for good measure. A third finally gives purple the pin at 9:10.

Rating: F. Well what was that supposed to be? The biggest problem here is the match was really, really bad with the Tombstone being the only thing worthwhile from the fake Undertaker. That leaves you with about eight minutes of lumbering forearms and right hands as the fans had no idea what to make of anything because there was nothing to get excited about. This would have been much easier to sit through if it didn’t come after twenty minutes of build and a great cage match. For the life of me I’m not sure how they thought this was going to work, but it failed miserably.

Gray gets put in the casket and purple poses before the Urn’s flashlight.

Savage wraps the show up but throws it to the detectives, who find a briefcase. “The case is closed.” That ends the show. Summerslam mind you, ends on a sight gag. I remember watching this live and my dad tried to explain the joke to me because at six years old, this went flying over my head. What a great way to end a show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s certainly not the worst show as there’s enough good stuff to carry it past horrible, but my goodness they didn’t do themselves any favors here. There’s a reason that 1994 was one of the worst years in company history and this show was a good example. With the fake main event being such a mess, they’re lucky to have an instant classic in the real main event to bail it out. It’s watchable, but be ready to fast forward a lot.

Ratings Comparison

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

Original: C+
2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C

2018 Redo: B

Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Original: B-

2013 Redo: C+

2018 Redo: B-

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2018 Redo: D

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

Original: D-

2013 Redo: D-

2018 Redo: F

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Original: A

2013 Redo: A+

2018 Redo: A+

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

Original: B

2013 Redo: F

2018 Redo: F

Overall Rating

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

I still don’t know how I got a B out of the main event before and I really liked the women’s match more this time around. Other than that, it’s about the same all around.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/28/history-of-summerslam-count-up-summerslam-1994-from-great-matches-to-leslie-nielsen/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/07/30/summerslam-count-up-1994-the-last-great-cage-match/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Summerslam 1993
Date: August 30, 1993
Location: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 23,954
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

A lot has changed in the last year. Bret won the WWF Title about three months after the last Summerslam but lost it at Wrestlemania to the monster Yokozuna. Yoko went on a path of destruction through the WWF over the summer, but it was WCW signee Lex Luger who stood up for the USA on the 4^th of July in a body slam challenge and is challenging for the title tonight. Hogan is gone, so America’s hopes rest on Luger. Let’s get to it.

We see Luger’s Lex Express bus arriving earlier today. Luger had gone around the country in a bus to get fan support for the match against Yokozuna. Why he didn’t stay in the WWF and win matches to get a title shot is beyond me.

Ted DiBiase vs. Razor Ramon

The match starts fast as DiBiase jumps Razor coming in. Razor comes back with a quick backdrop and a slam, sending DiBiase running to the floor. Back in and DiBiase takes it into the corner for some chops, only to be reversed on a whip and clotheslined out to the floor again. Razor pulls him back in but Ted chokes away on the top rope. I love basic heel moves like that. You never see those anymore because it’s all about attitude or whatever nonsense WWE tells you now.

Heenan makes jokes about the 1-2-3 Kid, who recently defeated Ramon and triggered his face turn. A clothesline gets two for DiBiase and it’s off to the chinlock. It’s clear that DiBiase is WAY past his prime here but his prime was so good that this is still totally watchable. Razor’s arms stay up on the third drop but DiBiase takes him back down with a swinging neckbreaker. Ted sends him to the floor and rips off a turnbuckle pad, only to be sent into it himself. The Razor’s Edge is good for the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but DiBiase was nothing more than a jobber to the stars by now anyway. This would actually be the last match in the WWF for DiBiase as he would do a quick run in Japan before retiring by the beginning of the year. The match wasn’t bad but it could have been the main event of any episode of Raw.

Todd Petingill interviews some of the Steiners’ relatives as we’re in their hometown. The sister calls Rick by his real name of Rob here.

Tag Titles: Steiner Brothers vs. Heavenly Bodies

Jim Cornette manages the challengers, who are Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Pritchard. This is part of the cross promotion with SMW. Heenan sings Cornette’s praises, which was how Cornette got over as a heel. He had debuted not long before this and Heenan immediately hugged him. Since Heenan was a heel and Cornette was a friend of his, Cornette was instantly hated. No shades of gray, no thought to it, just basic heel work. I miss stuff like that so much.

The Bodies jump the champions and send Scott out to the floor early on. A double flapjack puts Rick down and Scott is knocked back to the floor, but the Bodies spend too much time double teaming. All four are in now with the Steiners cleaning house to the delight of the crowd. I’m sure it has nothing to do with them wearing University of Michigan colors. A tilt-a-whirl slam (called a suplex by Vince) puts Del Ray down and the Steiners stand tall.

We officially start with Pritchard vs. Scott and Tom is slammed down in a BIG gorilla press. A backdrop puts Del Ray down and it’s off to Rick vs. Pritchard. Rick cleans house with Steiner Lines to send the challengers to the floor. Back in the and the Bodies finally start cheating, allowing Pritchard to hit an enziguri to send Scott to the floor, followed by a Del Ray moonsault press to wipe Scott out.

Back in and Del Ry hits a Rocky Maivia spinning DDT but doesn’t cover like the schnook that he is. Heenan has the match 1112-9 in favor of the Bodies. A powerslam gets two for Del Ray and Cornette jabs Scott in the throat with his tennis racket. Scott finally comes back with a belly to belly out of nowhere and makes the hot tag to Rick.

Everyone gets Steiner Lines (Heenan: “Mrs. Steiner just gave her daughter a Steiner Line!”) but the top rope bulldog only gets two on Del Ray thanks to a save. Cornette throws in the racket but a shot to Rick’s back is only good for two. Del Ray misses a moonsault and the Frankensteiner retains the belts.

Rating: C+. This was as by the book of a tag team match as you can get but it was still good stuff. I don’t think anyone cared about the Heavenly Bodies but that’s where a good manager like Cornette can come in handy: the fans are going to boo anyone he’s out there with, including a tag team who never did anything of note in the WWF.

A new interviewer named Joe Fowler (he didn’t last long) is with Shawn and Diesel, with the former saying he’s the best IC Champion ever. Diesel says he’s there to keep the chicks off the champ. Fowler wasn’t bad actually.

Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn is defending. This match was literally months in the making with the WWF basically saying “this is going to be the match of the year, guaranteed.” To continue the theme of things that just aren’t the same today, Perfect is trying to become the first three time IC Champion. We also have Radio WWF with JR and Gorilla Monsoon doing commentary. Wrestling used to be broadcast on the radio back in the day, with legendary sportscaster Bob Costas doing commentary at one point.

Shawn easily takes it down to start but Perfect snapmares him down as well. Perfect takes over with an armdrag and drives some knees into the arm. Shawn comes back with a headlock out of the corner but Perfect avoids an elbow and we have a stalemate. Some LOUD chops in the corner snap Shawn’s head back and a clothesline turns him inside out for two. Back to the armbar on the champion but Shawn escapes and goes up top, only to dive into an armdrag.

Perfect puts on another armbar before catapulting Shawn out to the floor in a great crash. Perfect goes to the floor but has to stare at Diesel, giving Shawn an opening for the yet to be named Sweet Chin Music. Shawn hits an ax handle of the apron to Perfect’s back before heading back inside to drop knees onto the back. A hard whip into the corner puts Perfect down again and Shawn drops down onto Perfect’s back.

Off to a backbreaker with Shawn bending Perfect’s back over Shawn’s knee. A stiff right hand gets Perfect out and a running dropkick puts Shawn down again. Perfect gets two off an atomic drop before countering a backslide into the PerfectPlex, only to have Diesel pull the leg for the save. Diesel gets punched in the face before both guys brawl on the floor. Shawn slides back in to distract the referee, allowing Diesel to post Perfect for the countout.

Rating: C. This was ok and nothing higher than that. The ending was lame and the match was a bunch of arm/back work with no heat segment or drama at all. It was a one off match that collapsed under the weight that the company put on it by saying it would be a classic and all that jazz. Not much to see here.

Perfect gets beaten down post match with Shawn claiming to be the best ever. Perfect gives chase and catches up with Shawn during an interview with Gene. The fight winds up being Perfect vs. Diesel in a match I don’t think ever happened, unless it was on some random Raw or Superstars.

1-2-3 Kid is nervous for his PPV debut.

I.R.S. vs. 1-2-3 Kid

The Kid is relatively new at this point, having shocked the world by beating Razor Ramon in May. He also beat IRS’ partner DiBiase recently so IRS is here for revenge and to stop the Kid’s lucky streak. The Kid is launched into the air and bounces off the mat for early control but he dropkicks IRS out of the air on a second attempt. Nice psychology there, but IRS knocks him to the floor a few seconds later.

Kid comes back in with a sunset flip for two but gets caught in an abdominal stretch to drag the match out even longer. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Kid takes him to the corner for some kicks and a moonsault press for two. A side roll gets two as Heenan is losing his mind. Kid dropkicks him down for two more, but IRS hits a flying clothesline for the pin out of nowhere.

Rating: D. What in the world was that? The Kid had been undefeated since May and you have him lose to a jobber to the stars in IRS? I don’t get the thinking here at all and it would continue to make little sense as the Kid would only lose one more singles match this year, and not again until next June. Yet he loses to IRS here? I don’t get it.

Owen and Bruce Hart say their dad is at home recovering from knee surgery but they’re here to support Bret.

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler

This is the blowoff to a MAJOR feud which started at the King of the Ring. Bret won the tournament but Jerry attacked him during the coronation, saying he was the only real king in professional wrestling. Jerry comes to the ring on crutches with a big ice pack on his knee. He claims an injury from a car wreck (going into hilarious detail about a blue haired lady causing a ten car pileup) so Bret’s new opponent is the court jester.

Bret Hart vs. Doink the Clown

This is evil Doink, meaning he’s AWESOME. Doink comes out carrying two buckets, one of which contains confetti to throw at the fans. The other is full of water which is thrown on Bruce Hart in the old Harlem Globetrotters trick. Bret jumps Doink on the floor and we get things going inside. Doink is punched back to the floor before he can even get his jacket off before Hart sends him into the post. Heenan talks about how Lawler was in an 18 car pileup, crawled out of the car and into a school bus, saved 40 kids from the bus and bought them all hamburgers before coming to the arena tonight. Vince’s stunned reaction is great.

Doink gets in a shot and goes up, only to be crotched on the buckle. Heenan: “He’s been de-Doinked!” Bret offers Lawler a chance to come in before dropping Doink with an atomic drop. Another Lawler distraction lets Doink hit a knee to the back before sending Bret into the steps. Doink starts working on the leg and wraps it around the post with Lawler cheering him on.

The Clown puts on an STF and Heenan swears Bret gave up. Doink transitions into a lame chinlock before putting on a stump puller (you sit the other guy down and push his head down while pulling up on a leg) to stay on the leg and neck. Bret comes back with a right and the Five Moves of Doom. He hooks the Sharpshooter but Lawler runs into the ring and breaks the crutch over Bret’s back for the DQ.

Rating: C+. The match was your usual good Bret match when he had a good opponent to work against. Lawler pretending to be injured is the perfect action for him as he’s such a slimy coward most of the time. The Bret vs. Lawler feud had incredible heat to it as the fans wanted to see Lawler get beaten up…….and then there’s this.

President Jack Tunney stops Lawler in the aisle and says get in the ring right now.

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler

Bret blasts him in the head with one of Doink’s buckets before the bell. They head inside and Bret immediately pounds Lawler down and gets in a crutch shot for good measure. Lawler gets in a crutch shot to the throat and chokes away as the referee (ECW’s Bill Alfonzo) is trying to restrain the Hart Brothers.

Bret gets crotched against the post, allowing Lawler to tell the referee to go yell at the Brothers again. The distraction lets Lawler get in more crutch shots in a classic simple heel move. He stops to tell the booing fans to shut up but Bret is ready to fight. Hart destroys Lawer and even throws in a piledriver before putting on the Sharpshooter for the academic submission. He won’t let go though and the decision is reversed.

Rating: B. The match itself isn’t much from an action standpoint, but the story was perfect (Bret wants revenge) and it’s a short form clinic on how to work a crowd from Lawler. Those subtle things like distracting the referee and sneaking in weapon shots and telling the crowd to shut up are so basic and easy but you NEVER see them today. Today’s writers need to watch some Lawler matches and they’ll learn how to have a crowd eating out of a heel’s hand in no time.

It takes about ten referees plus two Brothers to pull Bret off of Lawler. Bret is told that Lawler is the undisputed King so he goes after Jerry again as Lawler is put on a stretcher. Bruce Hart gets in some shots as well but Lawler is finally wheeled off, raising his arm in victory like the true villain he is.

Unfortunately we never got the planned blowoff to this feud as some 15 year old accused Lawler of rape (she admitted she made the whole thing up and Lawler was acquitted) so the Hart Brothers vs. Jerry and three hired goons at Survivor Series never happened. That’s a shame as the reaction for Lawler being destroyed by the whole family including Stu would have been a sight to behold.

Ludvig Borga is on the streets of Detroit to show us the country that Lex Luger wants to stand up for.

Bret and his brothers say Lawler deserves a broken leg.

Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga

Borga is basically the original Antonio Cesaro but from Finland. Marty fires away to start but gets punched in the corner by the former boxer. A hard clothesline puts Jannetty down before Borga throws him into the air for an uppercut (much like Cesaro). More punches in the corner have Jannetty in trouble and a clothesline stops his comeback dead. Borga blows his nose on Jannetty before putting on a bearhug. Marty escapes and makes a quick comeback with a pair of superkicks but gets caught in a powerslam and a torture rack for the submission.

Rating: D-. This was one of the lamer squashes I can remember in a long time. Borga looked slow and limited in the ring but the rack looked good. Other than that though, Borga came off as much more flash than substance. He would get better, but at the end of the day he never quite did anything in the company.

Giant Gonzalez vs. Undertaker

This is a Rest in Peace match, which means No DQ and No Countout, or a street fight as we would call it. Gonzalez has been tormenting Undertaker all year and lost to him via DQ at Wrestlemania. Gonzalez is a legit 7’7 and his manager Harvey Whippelman has stolen the Urn. Paul Bearer is absent for reasons that aren’t quite explained. The Giant pounds on Taker to start but Taker comes back with some clotheslines. A single elbow takes the Dead Man down and they head outside with the Giant in control.

Gonzalez hits some of the weakest chair shots you’ll ever see before whipping Taker knees first into the steps. Back in and Undertaker hits some uppercuts but keeps reaching for the Urn. Taker is still down when the gong rings and Paul Bearer makes his return with a black wreath. Whippelman goes after him and gets decked, allowing Paul to get the Urn back. The Giant stares down at him, Undertaker sits up, hits five clotheslines and a sixth frm the top for the pin. Seriously, that’s it.

Rating: G. As in I long for Great Khali. You often hear bad wrestlers said to be as bad as Giant Gonzalez and there’s a good reason for that: the guy is HORRIBLE. I understand the idea of the guy being huge and not needing to do much, but Gonzalez couldn’t do even the most basic stuff without screwing it up. Having seen a good deal of both, I can safely say that Gonzalez makes Great Khali look like Bret Hart.

Post match Harvey turns on Gonzalez and gets laid out.

Cornette says his men have been ripped off all night but that won’t happen when Lex Luger faces his Yokozuna. All those people Luger has seen over the country aren’t going to be able to help him now because it’s just Luger vs. Yokozuna, and the last thing Luger will hear is BANZAI!

Smoking Guns/Tatanka vs. Headshrinkers/Bam Bam Bigelow

Aren’t cowboys and Indians supposed to fight? The heels have Afa and Luna Vachon with them. The Samoans run over the Guns to start and we have Bigelow vs. Tatanka to get us going. Tatanka fires off a shoulder block and a dropkick followed by an impressive backdrop. Both guys try cross bodies and Tatanka actually gets the better of it. For a gimmick wrestler Tatanka had some good success around this time.

A double tag brings in Billy vs. Fatu (Rikishi) with the Samoan hitting a quick superkick. Billy comes back with a top rope clothesline as Vince tells us Billy went to college on a rodeo scholarship. That actually exists? Another superkick from Samu knocks Billy into the tag to Bart who is slammed face first into the mat for his troubles. Bigelow comes in with a dropkick for two before it’s back to Fatu for a wicked powerslam. The Samoans take turns double teaming Bart with headbutts and chops as the heat segment goes on for a good while.

Bigelow misses a charge and hits the post, allowing Bart to make the hot tag off to Tatanka. The Indian chops every heel in sight and takes Bigelow down with a DDT and a high cross body for two. Tatanka goes on the war path but walks into an enziguri from Bam Bam. Sometimes there’s no better solution than to kick a guy in the head. Everything breaks down and Tatanka is left all alone against the three monsters. A TRIPLE HEADBUTT puts Tatanka down and all three go up for a triple flying headbutt, but Tatanka rolls away and rolls up Samu for the pin.

Rating: B-. Where in the world did this come from??? This was a shockingly good tag match with everyone moving fast and some great looking spots from Bigelow. Tatanka was one of those guys that the fans just liked and there’s no way you can fake that. Good stuff here and a very nice surprise.

To fill in time, we talk to Luger’s bus driver. The guy is so valuable he gets to sit in the bus and watch the show on a monitor. He talks about how great Luger is and how he visited a bunch of kids.

Pettingill asks some fans who they like in the main event and the answer is obvious.

Some guy sings the Japanese national anthem.

Randy Savage is master of ceremonies for the main event and comes out with some country singer who sings the American national anthem.

WWF Title: Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna

Remember, this is Luger’s ONE title shot. It’s a long staredown to start before Lex has to knock Mr. Fuji down. Lex starts pounding away but a single shot from the champion puts him down. Luger comes back with more right hands and down goes Yoko. A big elbow drop gets two for Luger and he avoid one from Yoko. Luger hits a running clothesline in the corner before pounding away on the champion’s head in the corner. Yoko will have none of that though and takes Luger down with a single chop.

Luger gets in some right hands but can’t slam Yoko again. Instead he gets kicked in the face and knocked to the floor with some headbutts. Out to the floor they go with Yoko choking Luger with a mic cord. A splash crushes Luger against the post but Yoko misses a chair shot. They head back inside where Luger hits two ax handle shots off the top and middle rope before a top rope forearm gets a very close two count.

A double clothesline puts both guys down and things slow down even more. Fuji throws in his bucket which Yoko uses to knock Luger out cold but only for two. A big belly to belly suplex and side slam get the same results as the champion is getting frustrated. Off to a nerve hold by the champion which eats up several minutes.

Luger fights up again but gets clotheslined down for two. To show you how impressive he is, Heenan actually compliments Luger. I don’t think I ever remember him cheering for a good guy before. Yokozuna loads up the Banzai Drop but Luger rolls away at the last minute. They fight into the corner again but Yoko misses a charge. Luger slams him down and hits the loaded forearm, knocking the champion out to the floor. Unfortunately for Luger, he also knocked Yokozuna out cold, earning Luger a countout win.

Rating: D+. This was long and slow without being very good. Luger got good reactions though, especially for the slam. It was clear that his character was nothing but warmed over Hogan leftovers but at least the fans hadn’t entirely realized that yet. This wasn’t a terrible match, but it certainly was nothing of note either. The ending wasn’t great but it was necessary to continue the story being told.

Luger celebrates with his friends to end the show despite not winning the title. We even get a music video of his push, which would be WAY more effective if Luger had, you know, WON THE FREAKING TITLE. Heenan: “This was his ONE shot!” Vince: “Don’t worry he’ll get another one!” Heaven forbid we pay attention to storylines that PPVs are built around.

Overall Rating: C+. With a Luger title win, this would have been a very solid show. There are some bad matches on here but the majority of the show works amazingly well with Bret vs. Lawler and the six man being highlights. Much like last year it’s a show where the overall show is better than its individual parts which made for a good show. Why Luger didn’t go over here continues to elude me.

Ratings Comparison

Razor Ramon vs. Ted DiBiase

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Steiner Brothers vs. Heavenly Bodies

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect

Original: B-

Redo: C

1-2-3 Kid vs. I.R.S.

Original: F

Redo: D

Bret Hart vs. Doink the Clown

Original: B

Redo: C+

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler

Original: B+

Redo: B

Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga

Original: D+

Redo: D-

Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez

Original: C+

Redo: G (As in I long for Great Khali)

Tatanka/Smoking Gunns vs. Bam Bam Bigelow/Headshrinkers

Original: F+

Redo: B-

Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

Original: B-

Redo: D+

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: C+

……I had no idea what I was doing back then did I?

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/27/history-of-summerslam-count-up-1993-i-still-dont-get-the-ending/

Summerslam 1992
Date: August 31, 1992
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Attendance: 80,355
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

Most of the older editions are in need of an update so we’ll knock out this one. This is one of the biggest crowds in wrestling history and they’re in for a pretty major show. We have a double main event of Randy Savage defending the WWF Title against the Ultimate Warrior and the instant classic of Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog for the Intercontinental Title. Guess what’s headlining. Let’s get to it.

Nasty Boys/Mountie vs. Jim Duggan/Bushwhackers

This is a bonus dark match (at least on the American broadcast, though all three on the card aired on the European broadcasts). Jimmy Hart is in the villains’ corner. The fans get their chance to boo/cheer the various teams until the villains jump them from behind. This goes as well as you would expect and the ring is cleared in a hurry. Back in and the Nasty Boys are whipped into each other in the corner, followed by some double clotheslines for a bonus.

Sags beats on Butch for a bit before everything breaks down again. The villains finally get in a cheap shot to take over on Luke and a double boot to the ribs puts him down again. The chinlock goes on and it’s back to Mountie for more stomping. Sags grabs a reverse chinlock, which draws a USA chant as the British fans cheer for a New Zealander.

There’s a knee drop as Heenan goes over the specifics for the WWF rule book (I’d pay money to see that). Luke gets a boot up to knock Sags out of the air though and it’s the hot tag to Duggan to clean house. Everything breaks down and Sags elbows Mountie by mistake, allowing Duggan to get the pin at 12:34.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a case where you need to consider the spot. They weren’t going for anything important here and it wasn’t a match with any story. You had three popular wrestlers facing three villains in an easy match. The fans liked it though and that’s entirely what they were shooting for here. It would have made a fine house show opener and it worked perfectly well here.

Papa Shango vs. El Matador

Another bonus match. Shango jumps him from behind and we’re starting in a hurry. A running crossbody connects in the corner but another charge misses, allowing Matador to hit a clothesline. They head outside with Shango getting posted as Heenan thinks Matador should just give up now.

A top rope clothesline gives Matador two and there’s the flying forearm. Matador’s sleeper is broken up in a hurry and it’s time to choke in the corner. Shango drops an elbow and hits a side slam, only to miss a middle rope elbow. Another flying forearm gives Matador two but he misses a charge into the corner. The shoulder breaker finishes Matador at 6:12.

Rating: C-. Another perfectly watchable match and that’s fine for the spot they were in. Matador was always good for something like this and he could make an up and coming villain like Shango look good. It wasn’t a good match or anything, but they kept it quick and Shango didn’t quite squash him, so it worked out well enough.

Brought to you by ICO PRO. I hope they kept the receipt.

The British fans are VERY happy to have Summerslam here. This includes a kid who says that British Bulldog is going to win, whether he wants to or not. Kid sounds like he has mob connections.

Bobby Heenan has a crown. My day is complete.

Money Inc. vs. Legion of Doom

Money Inc. has Jimmy Hart in their corner but the LOD comes out on their motorcycles in a pretty famous entrance. Now granted that might be because Paul Ellering is with them and he has Rocco the Dummy on the front of his bike. In one of my favorite lines ever, Vince says that the Legion of Doom are known for their psychology in the ring. The jet lag must have gotten to him. DiBiase in white trunks still feels wrong but it isn’t as evil as I remember.

Hawk threatens him to the floor to start and then clotheslines him outside again, this time for another clothesline from Animal. It’s off to Animal for a powerslam and Hawk comes back in with a top rope shot to the arm. Now the fact that Hawk looks like he’s somewhere around Saturn makes that one a little more impressive than it sounds. IRS grabs a sleeper on Hawk but it’s broken up with a drive into the corner. The top rope clothesline misses though and Hawk falls all the way out to the floor. That’s quite the flying leap.

DiBiase comes in for a few shots and it’s already back to IRS for two off an elbow. The chinlock goes on and the villains make some changes without tags (they really should be setting a better example for the foreign fans). Back up and a double clothesline puts both of them down but IRS comes in to choke with the tag rope in the corner. Hawk powers over to the corner but the referee misses the tag (that nitwit).

As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Animal coming in to clean house. It’s a bunch of shoulders and clotheslines as everything breaks down. IRS breaks up the Doomsday Device so Animal goes with a powerslam to finish DiBiase (it wouldn’t surprise me if that was due to being scared of Hawk coming off the top) at 12:00.

Rating: C-. The crowd helped but you could tell that there was something off with the LOD. That being said, it isn’t exactly surprising that Hawk stayed in England and more or less ended the team for the time being. Hawk was a time bomb for a good while and as bad as things went, it could have been a heck of a lot worse.

Ric Flair isn’t happy that he isn’t getting his rematch for the WWF Title because he should be in the ring in the bright lights of London, England. Gene wants to know where Mr. Perfect, Flair’s crony, is, especially with the rumors of Perfect being in the corner of either Randy Savage or the Ultimate Warrior. Flair says Perfect is in the dressing room. Gene: “Whose dressing room???” Flair: “The dressing room of the winner. WOO!” I’ve always liked that one.

Virgil is ready to fight Nailz to avenge his buddy the Big Boss Man. If Virgil is your the best friend you have, getting beaten half to death with a nightstick doesn’t sound too bad.

Nailz vs. Virgil

Nailz gets a jobber entrance for some reason. Probably protecting Virgil’s star power. Nailz takes him into the corner to start and chokes a bit until Virgil hits a dropkick. That doesn’t even put Nailz down (Heenan: “He’s tough as nails!”) and it’s time for more choking. Virgil is sent outside and rammed into the apron. Back in and the standing choke finishes Virgil at 3:19.

Rating: D. This made Summerslam? It felt like something that would be a featured match on Wrestling Challenge at best and that’s hardly the kind of thing that you need to see on one of the biggest (if not the biggest) show of the year. Nothing to see here as Nailz didn’t exactly have the longest shelf life in the world.

Post match Nailz beats Virgil up even more.

Lord Alfred Hayes can’t get into Randy Savage’s dressing room but thinks Mr. Perfect is in there. He’ll keep being annoying until he finds something out.

Sherri doesn’t like the idea of Shawn Michaels and Rick Martel fighting, even though Shawn cost Martel an Intercontinental Title shot. Sherri has been with Shawn for a good while now but has been flirting with Martel. Tonight neither of them are allowed to hit each other in the face, because they’re both too handsome you see. She’ll be standing by her man, which seems to be Shawn as he calls her to go to the ring.

Rick Martel vs. Shawn Michaels

Martel is in tennis gear because it’s what models do. Sherri is with Michaels and brings out a full length mirror as Vince can’t get over the no hitting in the face thing. Vince: “This isn’t the sixth grade!” Indeed. Hitting in the face is a fourth grade thing. Vince also panics over Sherri’s outfit, which is uh, kind of incomplete in certain areas. Sherri takes some extra time disrobing Shawn because….I’m not sure really.

Feeling out process to start with Shawn trying a monkey flip, allowing Martel to cartwheel into some jumping jacks. A dropkick to the face has Sherri nervous but Martel jumps Shawn from behind. The fans seem to be behind Martel, which is rather strange to see. Martel misses a crossbody out of the corner though and the fans calm down a bit. Back up and Martel teases a right hand but stops himself and throws Shawn over the top instead. Martel takes him back inside for a backdrop and more jumping jacks but Shawn reverses an O’Connor roll for two.

After both guys pull their gear back up (with Vince and Bobby making the usual jokes), it’s Shawn getting a knee up to stop a charge in the corner. Now they trade rollups again and it’s time to get serious. They slap each other in the face, drawing Sherri to the apron for a lot of screaming….and some fainting. Shawn goes to check on her and Sherri falls out to the floor, where Martel knocks Shawn away. He gives her CPR but Shawn starts the fist fight for the double countout at 8:09, which draws Sherri back to life.

Rating: C. This was a lot different than most matches you’ll see and it worked out pretty well. It was certainly a unique way to go and given who was in there, it is hardly a surprise that they had a decent match. The Sherri stuff was interesting, though given that Shawn was supposed to headline the show, it is a bit of a downgrade.

Post match Sherri faints again so Shawn comes back to carry her away. Martel breaks that up as well, and Sherri falls down in a heap. Shawn jumps Martel again and Sherri crashes again, allowing Shawn to get her….most of the way back, until Martel finds a bucket of water and throws it on Sherri, who storms off on her own.

The Nasty Boys laugh at what happened to Sherri but are more interested in watching Savage and Warrior destroy each other. Now where is their title shot? Jimmy Hart sounds rather nervous about that question.

Tag Team Titles: Beverly Brothers vs. Natural Disasters

The Brothers are challenging and have the Genius in their corner. They jump the massive champs to start and are quickly sent into each other for a quick crash. We settle down to Typhoon missing a legdrop on Blake as everything breaks down again. Earthquake splashes typhoon in the corner by mistake, but Typhoon launches Beau to the floor on a kickout. After finding out that SHAWN MICHAELS HAS LEFT WEMBLEY STADIUM, the Beverly Blast keeps Typhoon in trouble.

A headbutt gets two as it’s strange to see someone this big taking a longer form beating. Typhoon drives over for the tag but of course the referee doesn’t see it. How do referees not get fired more often for being so inept? Typhoon gets in a double clothesline but Beau distracts Earthquake, allowing Blake to get in a shot with the metal scroll. Since Earthquake is about 28% smarter than anyone in the match, he decks Blake before the cover, allowing the hot tag to Typhoon. A belly to belly suplex plants Beau and a double shoulder puts the Brothers down. The powerslam sets up the Earthquake to retain at 10:25.

Rating: D. This was as good as the Natural Disasters vs. the Beverly Brothers for ten minutes was going to be. The Brothers were just such worthless goofs and no one bought them as a threat to the champs. The Disasters on the other hand actually felt like a team who could destroy almost anyone and it was going to take more than a couple of goofs like these two to beat them.

The Bushwhackers don’t know anything about a dentist selling them a London Bridge, but they are going to a meal at Buckingham Palace. Royal sardines are on the menu and they might get to sit on the throne. These two are just goofy fun, even though they outlived their usefulness.

Hayes thinks Perfect is in Ultimate Warrior’s dressing room but still can’t get in.

Crush vs. Repo Man

This was when Crush was on the verge of becoming the company’s breakout star but it never quite got there. Or anywhere close for that matter. Repo jumps him from behind to start but gets gorilla pressed without much effort. A backbreaker puts Repo on the floor and then Crush adds a one handed backbreaker just to show off.

As commentary talks about the WWF Title match coming up next (and nearly apologizing for making us wait so long), Crush misses a top rope knee. A faceplant gives Repo two but the kickout puts Repo on the floor. Back in and Repo dives into a powerslam, setting up the head vice for the win at 4:03.

Rating: D+. Another fast match that feels like a way to extend the show longer than it needs to be. That’s what happens when you have a two match card, but Crush was a popular guy at this point and it makes sense to feature him on a show like this. Repo Man was always good for a job and it was a quick enough squash that it wasn’t exactly worthless.

Gene throws us to a package on Savage vs. Warrior. The match was signed with Savage summing up the issue rather well: “I’M THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION CHAMPION AND YOU’RE NOT!” Then Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect made it clear that they weren’t happy with Flair not being in the title match and teased that they were working with both of them. The mind games were on hard and the question was who be joining forces with Perfect and Flair here. That’s quite the intriguing question, and a good way to go for something like this.

Heenan insists that he doesn’t know who sold out but Vince doesn’t believe him.

WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Savage is defending and there is no sign of Flair and/or Perfect. Warrior always looked really weird in that singlet. They go nose to nose to start and shove each other away as the fans are WAY into this. Warrior shoves him down without much effort but Savage is back with a pair of clotheslines for one. Savage goes up top in a hurry but gets punched out of the air just as fast. A pair of delayed atomic drops have Savage in more trouble and a clothesline gets two.

Savage isn’t having that and punches him down, setting up a quickly broken sleeper. Warrior unloads with right hands in the corner and stomps Savage down, followed by another hard clothesline. A pull of the tights sends Warrior into the buckle though and a clothesline puts Warrior on the floor. The fans don’t like that one but Savage doesn’t seem to mind.

Back in and a pair of top rope ax handles to Warrior’s head gets two but the third is pulled out of the air for a backbreaker. The hard whips into the corner set up a bearhug for all of two seconds. Savage gets two off a small package and a swinging neckbreaker gives him a breather. Savage’s back gives out on a suplex attempt and even Warrior is smart enough to know what to do here.

A suplex makes the back worse and gets another two as they’re a little more spent than they should be after less than thirteen minutes. Warrior misses a clothesline and gets low bridged to the floor, allowing Savage to hit a top rope ax handle. There’s a ram into the steps and another into the post but Savage can’t hit a piledriver back inside.

Cue Perfect and Flair as NOW things are going to get interesting. Warrior hits a slam to damage the back again, but the splash hits knees. There’s the required double clothesline and they’re both down again. Savage is up first and glares down at Perfect and Flair, allowing Warrior to lift him up for some choking. The ref gets bumped (SHOCKING!) and it’s Warrior going up for his own ax handle.

That’s good for a very delayed two and Warrior is annoyed at the count. Warrior getting annoyed at things isn’t exactly surprising. Savage hits a piledriver but has to get the referee off the floor. During the delay, which takes quite a bit of time, Perfect comes in and holds Warrior for an illegal object shot from Flair. Somehow Savage doesn’t see that and hits the elbow, but the referee is STILL groggy so the two is delayed again. Sweet goodness get tougher referees.

Warrior starts shaking the ropes and Heenan knows what that means for Savage. There’s the flying shoulder but Perfect distracts the referee, allowing Flair to hit Warrior in the back with a chair. Savage gets that something is up and doesn’t want it that way so he kicks at Perfect. He goes up anyway and then dives at Flair, who uses the chair to blast Savage’s knee, which is enough for the countout at 26:16.

Rating: B+. This was like an amazing setup to a joke but then they forgot the punchline at the end. Allegedly the original plan called for Warrior to turn but he wouldn’t go for it, which I can understand in a way. What we got was really good, though the ending was lacking just enough to pull things down. Flair and Perfect offered some great drama though, and that’s most of what they needed to do.

Post match Flair and Perfect stay on Savage’s knee, including the Figure Four. Warrior makes the save with the chair. Warrior helps Savage up and everything is cool. The knee injury would wind up costing Savage the title, with Flair winning it a few days later.

Perfect and Flair have a plan B and they’ll get the title back.

Undertaker vs. Kamala

Dr. Harvey Wippleman introduces Kamala, who also has Kim Cheer with him. The double manager thing is completely outclassed by Paul Bearer, who leads a hearse with Undertaker standing in the back to the ring. Not quite as awesome as some he would hit later, but good for early Undertaker. We get a little change of pace here as Undertaker chokes him into the corner to start and hits Old School (assuming it’s old less than two years into his run).

Another attempt is broken up thanks to a Wippleman distraction and Kamala clotheslines him to the floor, with undertaker landing on his feet. A ram into the steps doesn’t do much damage so it’s back inside for more chopping. Undertaker is fine enough for a chokeslam, but Kim Chee comes in with the pith helmet (get a chair dude) for the DQ at 3:40.

Rating: D-. I’m thinking this got cut short on time or something because what in the world is the point of a big entrance like that for a three and a half minute match? Then again, was anyone buying Kamala as a major threat? Maybe back in 1986 but against Undertaker? It really was a weird time for Undertaker as he was one of the bigger stars around but there was no one for him to fight. That would wind up being the case for years until Mankind showed up in 1996 as a totally different kind of threat.

Post match Kamala hits a bunch of splashes, including one from the top. Undertaker sits up anyway. But yeah, Kamala was a total threat here.

British Bulldog is ready to fight for the title, even though he is worried about what the whole ordeal has done to his family. He hopes the families reunite after the match, but it’s a dream to be here with no pressure.

Bret Hart knows how to wrestle under pressure and wants Bulldog to look him in the face and say he doesn’t know him. Bulldog doesn’t seem to remember Bret introducing him to his sister. Maybe Bulldog’s dream will wind up being a nightmare.

A Scottish band called the Balboa Highlanders performs Scotland the Brave and here’s Roddy Piper to play with them in a surprise cameo. Heenan is disappointed with the lack of break dancing.

Tatanka vs. Berzerker

Final bonus match and Berzerker has Mr. Fuji with him. They go with the test of strength to start and Tatanka shoves him over the top in a surprise power display. Back in and they chop it out until Berzerker misses a dropkick. Tatanka charges into a boot in the corner though and Berzerker grabs a World’s Strongest Slam.

They head outside with Tatanka being slammed on the floor and it’s back inside. Make that outside again as Tatanka clotheslines him over the top and hits his own slam on the floor. Serves the Minnesota viking (….hey) right. Back in and some chops set up a top rope chop into the Papoose To Go to finish Berzerker at 5:03.

Rating: D+. This was the weakest of the three bonus matches and I can see why it was cut from the pay per view. Granted they probably needed something for some breathing room between the show’s three big matches. These two were as stereotypical as you could get, but they weren’t out there long and the ending was clean so it’s hard to complain that much.

Sean Mooney talks to Diana Smith at ringside and she sounds as emotional as….I’ve heard more intense grilled cheese orders. She wants everything to work out but she’s on the front line with both her brother and husband.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog

Bret is defending and you might have heard of this one before. Bulldog has British boxing champion Lennox Lewis carrying the flag to the ring. Bret gets quite the reaction as well but I think you know who the face is here. The bell rings and after the handing out of the sunglasses, we’re ready to go. They go nose to nose to start and Bret shoves him away, so Bulldog shoves him a little bit harder. A hard shoulder puts Bret on the floor and it’s time to rethink things a bit.

Back in and Bret headlock takeovers him down before hitting an uppercut (Heenan: “Right in the old fish and chips.”). Bulldog reverses an armbar into one of his own and then catapults Bret face first into the corner. A lifting armbar doesn’t quite work so it’s a crucifix for two on Hart instead. We’re right back to the armbar as Heenan does his old “the crowd is so loud I can’t hear commentary” deal.

Back up and Bret knees him in the ribs, much to the fans’ disapproval. The chinlock doesn’t last long either so Bret hits a backbreaker and grabs it again. That’s broken up and Bulldog hits a monkey flip, only to charge into a boot in the corner. The bulldog hits the Bulldog and Bret goes up, earning himself a slam back down (How do you make that mistake on a show with Flair?). Bret sends him outside and hits a slingshot dive, landing on a completely unprepared Bulldog, nearly breaking his back in the process.

The Russian legsweep gives Bret two and he hammers away with right hands. We’re back to the chinlock (with Bret’s back to the camera, showing he doesn’t understand wrestling), followed by the snap suplex and another chinlock. Bulldog grabs a quick backslide for two in the hope spot but Bret is right back with the middle rope elbow. We’re back to the chinlock, which is switched into a sleeper to put Bulldog in even more trouble. Bulldog grabs the rope and Bret grabs the sleeper again as things go right back down.

That’s broken up and they slug it out, with Bulldog trying a gorilla press and dropping Bret HARD onto the ropes for a scary crash. Three clotheslines give Bulldog two and it’s a gorilla press into the delayed suplex for the same. Bret is back with a German suplex for the same, as Bobby insists that Ric Flair could kick out of all of this of course.

Bulldog crotches him on top and hits a top rope superplex (without much elevation, which isn’t a good thing) for the next near fall. There’s a double clothesline and they’re both down, but Bret ties the legs together into the Sharpshooter (always cool). The rope is grabbed so Bret tries a sunset flip, only to have Bulldog sit down on it for the pin, the title, and one of the all time loud roars at 25:14.

Rating: A+. Yeah what else is there to say here? It’s a masterpiece, and mainly because of Hart. Bulldog was infamously out of it throughout the match and had to be told what to do every step of the way. It is an amazing match and probably Bret’s all time performance, which is probably why he was WWF Champion before the end of the year. Great stuff here and I’m sure you know that already.

Post match Bret isn’t happy but eventually shakes his hand. Diana comes in to join them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There’s a lot of bad on the show but the bad matches are mostly short and the two great ones are both rather long. Those are more than enough to carry the show and the huge atmosphere are more than enough to carry to a high level. It’s an excellent show and easily the biggest Summerslam ever. Now go back to England again for another big pay per view already. It’s not like it’s hard to make it work these days.

Ratings Comparison

Jim Duggan/Bushwhackers vs. Mountie/Nasty Boys

Original: B

2013 Redo: C+

2020 Redo: C

Papa Shango vs. Tito Santana

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: C-

Tatanka vs. Berzerker

Original: C

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D+

Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc.

Original: C+

2013 Redo: C-

2020 Redo: C-

Nailz vs. Virgil

Original: C

2013 Redo: F

2020 Redo: D

Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel

Original: B

2013 Redo: D+

2020 Redo: C

Beverly Brothers vs. Natural Disasters

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D

Repo Man vs. Crush

Original: C+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D+

Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Original: A

2013 Redo: B+

2020 Redo: B+

Kamala vs. Undertaker

Original: C

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D-

British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2020 Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: B+

2020 Redo: B

Close enough.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

And the 2013 Redo:

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Summerslam 1991
Date: August 26, 1991
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 20,000
Commentators: Bobby Heenan, Roddy Piper, Gorilla Monsoon

It’s a double main event, but in this case only one of those is a match. We have a handicap tag match between Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior and the Iraqi sympathizers (ignore that the war had been over for months by this point) and a wedding between Randy Savage and Elizabeth. That’s quite the contrast, which is the selling point of the show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the Match Made In Heaven (the wedding) and the Match Made In Hell (Hogan/Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter/General Adnan/Colonel Mustafa).

Commentary welcomes us to the show.

The Dragon/Texas Tornado/British Bulldog vs. Power & Glory/Warlord

Dragon works on Roma’s arm to start and lifts him into the air to keep up the cranking. Tornado comes in to send Hercules into the corner over and over but a rake to the eyes cuts that off. It’s off to Bulldog vs. Warlord, with Bulldog grabbing a quick suplex. Dragon comes back in with a chop to Warlord’s head but a monkey flip is blocked (with Warlord not doing much, leaving Steamboat to just jump backwards).

The villains take over, with Roma getting two off a snap suplex. Some backbreakers from Roma set up Hercules’ delayed gorilla press as the beating continues. A clothesline cuts off the comeback attempt but Warlord, who is known for going up top, dives into raised boots, allowing the tag off to Tornado. Everything breaks down and Bulldog powerslams Roma for two (what a surprising kickout), followed by Dragon’s high crossbody for the win at 10:46.

Rating: C. This was a perfectly fine way to start the show, even with Roma’s kind of weird kickout at the end. Dragon was his usual good self, Bulldog was fine as a power guy and Tornado managed to not get lost coming to the ring so we’ll call it a success. Nice way to start the show, as a six man often is.

Mr. Perfect, with the Coach, says Bret Hart isn’t perfect enough to take the Intercontinental Title.

Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart

Hart is challenging and Coach is here with Perfect. Hart’s parents are here in the crowd, just in case you didn’t realize this was a big moment. They take their time to start until Hart shoulders him down and sends Perfect crashing out to the floor. Back in and Hart grabs a headlock takeover to grind away for a pretty good while until Perfect gets up. That means a clothesline out to the floor, with Coach needing to do…well some coaching actually.

Perfect teases walking out but Hart sends him back inside, tearing Perfect’s singlet in the process. Back in and Perfect actually bothers to fight, knocking Hart outside and chopping him down. Hart is right back in to hammer away and a rollup gets two. Perfect cuts that off in a hurry and sends Hart back outside as Perfect is starting to overwhelm him. Hart gets inside again and is promptly caught in a sleeper.

A Samoan drop of all things gives Perfect two and he sends Hart hard into the corner for the same. The PerfectPlex gets two and the kickout has the fans right back into this. Hart hits some atomic drops to put Perfect in trouble for a change and the hair toss into the corner kind of crotches Perfect on the post. The Russian legsweep gives Hart two and the backbreaker into the middle rope elbow gets the same.

Hart sends him outside again for a posting (and of course Perfect’s bumping is great) before it’s time to kick at the leg back inside. Coach has to get on the apron to block a Sharpshooter (and remind us that he’s a thing), with the distraction allowing Perfect to kick the rope for a low blow. Perfect drops a leg between the legs but Hart blocks a second and reverses it into the Sharpshooter for the (very fast) submission and the title at 18:05 and kickstart his singles run.

Rating: A. Oh what else were you expecting? This match has been revered for decades now and that will be the case for a long time to come. It’s a great back and forth match with Hart getting his first major singles win and proving he can hang with the best of them. When the only flaw is “Perfect gave up really fast”, you’re doing something right. Awesome match, mainly due to how well both of them were able to do just about everything. You could see both of them doing their parts to almost perfection and it made for an all time classic.

Post match Hart rips the rest of the singlet off of Perfect and poses with the title, even going to celebrate with his parents.

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Andre The Giant, looking terrible, is with the Bushwhackers and we see a clip of Earthquake attacking Andre and injuring his knee. Now Andre is backing the Bushwhackers to get revenge. Just because he’s big doesn’t mean he’s smart.

Natural Disasters vs. Bushwhackers

Jimmy Hart is here with the Disasters and Andre is with the Bushwhackers. They walk around to start until the Disasters go after Andre, earning themselves a double poke to the eyes from the Bushwhackers. Heenan: “If I was managing the Bushwhackers, I’d commit suicide.” We settle down to Butch vs. Typhoon with Butch getting backed into the corner but biting his way to freedom.

Earthquake makes the save (if you need to be saved from the Bushwhackers, perhaps it’s time to search for alternate employment) but the Bushwhackers clear the ring in short order. We settle back down to Earthquake hammering away on Butch as Heenan wonders which one is Larry, Darryl and Darryl. Butch gets crushed in the corner and has to fight out of a bearhug.

Typhoon elbows him in the face for two as Heenan leaves commentary to go talk to Hulk Hogan. That’s an odd change but Monsoon and Piper are happy. Butch gets away and brings in Luke to actually clean house. The Battering Rams send Earthquake to the floor, where he gives Butch a backbreaker. Luke steps on Typhoon’s toes but Typhoon can’t even sell that, allowing Earthquake to jump Luke from behind. The Earthquake is good for the pin at 6:27.

Rating: D. Well there was no way they were following the previous match, but what were they expecting out of this one? The match was never going to be much more than a squash and there was no reason to think otherwise. On top of that, Andre looked absolutely terrible and it was sad to see him out there barely able to move as such a shell of his former self.

Post match the Disasters go after Andre but the Legion Of Doom come out to cut that off in a hurry. There’s your next big tag feud.

Heenan, with the Big Gold Belt, goes to Hulk Hogan’s dressing room to issue a challenge on behalf of Ric Flair. Hogan knocks the belt out of his hands and slams the door. Well in theory at least, as we never actually hear Hogan or see his face.

Randy Savage is talking to fans on a phone line.

Ted DiBiase laughs at some of the things he has made Virgil do for him over the years. Tonight, DiBiase is ready to take Virgil out again for daring to challenge for the Million Dollar Title. This is a city full of gutters so Virgil can pick where he wants to go. And he’ll throw in a crying towel!

Million Dollar Title: Ted DiBiase vs. Virgil

DiBiase, with Sherri, is defending. Virgil hammers away to start fast and DiBiase is knocked to the floor early on. Back in and an atomic drop sends DiBiase crashing out to the floor again but this time DiBiase gets in a knockdown of his own. Heenan is back on commentary, with Piper saying that’s it for the fun.

DiBiase sends Virgil knees first into the steps and it’s time for the falling fists back inside. The beating continues as Heenan thinks Virgil is dumb enough to have the gold title bronzed. Back up and Virgil ducks a right hand and grabs the Million Dollar Dream. DiBiase is in trouble and Sherri brings in the loaded purse for the DQ at 6:27.

Actually hang on a second as the referee isn’t ending the match, but rather ejecting Sherri and continuing the match. Piper, Virgil’s friend and trainer, is THRILLED as Virgil hammers away in the corner but the referee gets bumped. DiBiase stops to taunt Piper and then drops Virgil with some suplexes. The piledriver plants Virgil but there is no referee, even as Piper is LOSING HIS MIND screaming for Virgil. The turnbuckle pad is removed but DiBiase takes too much time and gets sent into the exposed buckle. Virgil slowly crawls over and gets the pin and the title at 13:12, sending Piper through the roof.

Rating: C+. This was the pinnacle of everything with Virgil as he wins the title, but much more importantly he beats his former boss, who was a huge star in his own right. Piper deserves some credit here too, as he was pushing Virgil as hard as he could. It made you want to see Virgil win and that’s a great addition to the whole thing. Not an all time classic, but an emotional match that paid off a story years in the making.

Virgil gets the big celebration in a nice moment.

The Mountie is ready to beat Big Boss Man and then see him locked up in jail. He wants these New York police guards to brutalize Boss Man for a bonus. We also see some clips of Mountie using his shock stick on Boss Man, which is a rather violent way to set up a feud. It should be shocking that Boss Man is mad.

Boss Man is ready to send Mountie to jail.

Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie

The loser spends the night in jail and Jimmy Hart is here with the Mountie. Boss Man punches him in the face to start fast and cuts off a comeback with a hard spinebuster. The neck crank has Mountie in trouble so Hart offers a distraction. The chase is on and Boss Man is sent into the steps, with Heenan being rather pleased. Back in and Mountie’s slam gets two, followed by an elbow for the same as things slow WAY down.

A kickout sends Mountie flying out to the floor, with Monsoon calling Hart a walking advertisement for birth control. Geez that’s harsh even for Monsoon. Back in and Mountie bites Boss Man’s face before getting him up for a piledriver. With nothing else working, Hart gets on the apron but Mountie misses the shock stick shot. The Boss Man Slam….only gets two (that’s not something you see very often) so it’s a rather nasty Alabama Slam to finish Mountie off at 9:33.

Rating: C. The match was slow, but this was all about the ending and the post match shenanigans. As weird as it was to have the Boss Man Slam only get two, it was a good false finish before the pretty great looking Alabama Slam. Mountie’s time on offense was so slow though and it brought down the rest of the match.

Post match Boss Man has Mountie cuffed immediately and he’s dragged out back to the police van.

Ted DiBiase thinks he was robbed.

Bret Hart says Mr. Perfect just wasn’t perfect enough.

Jimmy Hart wants his lawyers to deal with the Mountie while the Natural Disasters threaten the Legion Of Doom.

Big Boss Man says a jailbird can’t fly and promises more torment for the Mountie tonight.

Randy Savage is still busy talking to fans and Gene Okerlund can only get some quick comments about him being ready for the wedding.

Five minute intermission, thankfully omitted.

Commentary does their preview/recap to fill in time.

The Mountie is taken to jail, where he screams his catchphrase as he’s put in the cell.

Jimmy Hart, now with the Nasty Boys, says his lawyer is on his way to the jail. The Nasty Boys accuse the Legion Of Doom and Jack Tunney of “coagulating” together against them.

Mountie gets his picture taken, despite being upset, sending Hart into a crazed rant about how that’s an invasion of privacy. Hart is hilarious in these over the top segments.

The Legion Of Doom is ready to win the Tag Team Titles. Then they’re ready for the Natural Disasters.

Mountie gets fingerprinted, again against his will.

The Triangle Of Terror (looking ancient, because they mostly were) say the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan are the ones who are outnumbered. Sgt. Slaughter teases having a surprise for the match.

Sid Justice (guest referee in the main event) promises to call the main event down the line. We see a clip of the Triangle Of Terror talking to Justice earlier and offering him a spot on the team. Back live, Sid says he didn’t promise them a thing (and we never heard him give an answer) but tonight, justice will be served. Is he going to dinner or something?

Tag Team Titles: Legion Of Doom vs. Nasty Boys

The Nasty Boys, with Jimmy Hart, are defending and this is No DQ/No Countout. The Legion cleans house to start, with Hawk even hitting an enziguri for two on Sags. Animal and Knobbs brawl to distract the referee and Sags sprays Hawk with something, which commentary ignores. A tray of drinks to the back has Hawk in more trouble and Sags ax handles him in the back to keep him down.

Knobbs comes in to clothesline Hawk, even as the camera shot is from the corner for some reason. A running splash hits in the corner but a middle rope version hits a raised boot. Animal comes in to clean house, including the powerslam for two on Knobbs. Hawk gets sent to the floor and Hart sends in his helmet, with a shot to the back rocking Animal. The delayed cover gets two but Hawk takes away the helmet and clocks Sags. The Doomsday Device gives us new champions at 7:45.

Rating: C+. Pretty quick and to the point here, though it wasn’t total destruction. What matters the most here is that the Legion Of Doom get up to the top, as they had felt like the most dominant team for a good while. It helps that they kept this as more of a brawl than a match, which suited both of them better. The other thing that stood out here: Hawk and Animal looked happy to win. They were raising their hands and hugging each other, which is how you should celebrate a huge moment. Do that kind of thing more often.

Mountie is put in a cell. One very cool detail here: on the Superstars leading into this show, Mountie had promised that Boss Man would do each of these things in order but then had to do it himself. That’s a nice bit of continuity that you don’t often see around here and it made things a little better if you were paying attention.

IRS vs. Greg Valentine

Heenan: “This will be a good match.” Might want to try again there Brain. Feeling out process to start with Valentine knocking IRS outside. As we slow things down a bit (yes, in this match), Monsoon passes on a rumor that Jake Roberts and Undertaker (a freshly evil pairing) have been seen around here. Back in and Valentine slams him for another trip to the floor, this time following him to hammer away.

IRS gets in a cheap shot and the abdominal stretch goes on, followed by a big clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on as Heenan asks if Monsoon and Piper’s parents wore suspenders (like IRS). Heenan realizes there’s no point in asking Piper as his parents were never home, which seems to touch a nerve. Anyway Valentine cuts him off the top and starts in on the leg, with the Figure Four sending IRS over to the ropes. Valentine stays on the leg but gets small packaged to give IRS the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C-. As usual, I have no idea what the point was in Valentine’s face turn, as the matches might have been technically fine but it’s not like there was anything interesting about him. IRS wasn’t much better and that didn’t make for much of a match. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but what was anyone expecting out of this one?

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Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior are ready for the Triangle Of Terror. Hogan says this is the perfect battleground while Warrior says they’ll walk instead of coming by boat or air. They’ll walk out the same too. We get a double Hogan catchphrase and Warrior gives him a rather odd looking….we’ll call it a hug.

Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior vs. Triangle Of Terror

Sid Justice is guest referee. Slaughter and Hogan start things off, with Sid taking away a foreign object and yelling at Slaughter to quite the reaction. Hogan actually doesn’t capitalize and gets pummeled in the corner, only to come back with a hard whip into another corner. Slaughter gets caught between Hogan and Warrior (much like his title reign), with Warrior coming in for an atomic drop.

Hogan comes back in to send him into the corner and adds a middle rope ax handle for two, with Mustafa kind of touching Hogan’s shoulder for the….I guess you could call it a save. Hogan chokes away in the corner but Sid actually breaks it up to keep things even. Slaughter gets in a cheap shot so Adnan can come in and slowly chop away. Mustafa’s gutwrench suplex (that always looked good) sets up the camel clutch, with Piper making a rare reference to Mustafa being the Iron Sheik.

That’s broken up even faster than it was in 1983 and it’s back to Slaughter, who goes up. Warrior shoves him off the top, with Slaughter DIVING across the ring for a crazy visual. It’s back to Warrior to clean house but Mustafa cheats to cut him off. A suplex gets Warrior out of trouble but Slaughter gets back in to break up the tag.

The big flying clothesline gets Warrior out of trouble and there’s the big tag to Hogan. Everything breaks down and Warrior gets a chair to chase Mustafa and Adnan to the back (where he was promptly fired by Vince McMahon). Hogan uses the distraction to throw powder into Slaughter’s eyes and drops the leg for the pin (with a FAST count) at 12:41.

Rating: C-. What were you expecting here? Hogan had already beaten Slaughter on his own at Wrestlemania and adding in two old guys wasn’t going to be enough to overcome the addition of the Warrior. Normally this wouldn’t feel like the main event of Summerslam, but keep in mind that this is the fourth Summerslam and the third to have a tag match main event. That’s kind of what Summerslam did, though this never had the slightest bit of drama, with Sid mostly being a non-factor.

Post match Hogan makes funny faces and then calls Sid back to pose with him. Because they’re best friends and would never split up of course.

Mountie meets a man in leather in his cell. Make your own jokes. Or don’t.

We recap Randy Savage proposing to Elizabeth (Piper: “GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!”), who of course responded with an awesome OH YEAH.

We get a music video of Savage and Elizabeth, which really is one of the best long term stories the company has ever done. Savage grew and changed over the course of the whole thing and that’s why it worked: it was a story with people involved and you could see how we got here over the years.

With the video done (and the ring ready for the wedding), Savage comes out in his white tuxedo and feathered hat (of course) and we get the ring bearer/flower girl. Elizabeth comes out, everyone swoons, the minister does his thing, Savage takes the sunglasses off to say OH YEAH, Elizabeth says yes, they get married, they leave, the show ends. This was the better part of fifteen minutes and…well it certainly happened. This would later be followed by the reception, which was crashed by Undertaker and Jake Roberts, setting off Roberts’ feud with Savage and eventually Undertaker’s face turn. For now though, just a wedding.

Overall Rating: C+. This isn’t a show you watch for the wrestling (save for that whole all time classic thing near the beginning), but it’s the definition of an easy to watch, fun show. That was kind of the theme of Summerslam back in the day, as there would be one or two things in the middle, but it wasn’t the kind of show where something major was going down. It was about the good guys getting a win to set up something for later and that’s what we got here. This might not be a classic, but there is enough fun stuff to keep you entertained for a few hours.

 

 

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